Waynakhia
Republic of Waynakhia Waynexaçö | |
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 Coat of arms
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Motto: Xalq̇ana, Maxkana, Dalla English: "Nation, Fatherland, God" | |
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Anthem: 'Ōƶalla ya Marşo English: "Death or Freedom" | |
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| Capital and largest city | Sölƶa-Ġala |
| Official languages | Waynakh (Noxçi, Ġalġai) |
| Ethnic groups (2020) |
90,6% Waynakh 5,6% Qumuq 2,3% Nogai 1,3% Awar 0,1% Russian 0,1% other |
| Demonym(s) | Waynakhian, Waynakh |
| Government | Parliamentary republic |
| History | |
| 1828 | |
| 1918 | |
| 1923 | |
| 1926 | |
| 1948 | |
• Chechnya, Ingushetia | 1951 |
| 1960-71 | |
• Republic of Vaynakhia | 1971 |
• Republic of Waynakhia (current constitution) | 2019 |
| Area | |
• Total | 24,250 km2 (9,360 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate | 2,288,709 |
• 2020 census | 2,239,954 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $92.992 billion |
• Per capita | $40,631 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate |
• Total | $61.995 billion |
• Per capita | $27,087 |
| Gini (2024) |
31.8 medium |
| HDI (2024) |
0.809 very high |
| Currency | Waynakh naxar (WYN) |
| Time zone | UTC+4 |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +428 |
| ISO 3166 code | WY |
| Internet TLD | .wy |
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Website mexkel.wy | |
Waynakhia (Waynakh: Waynexaçö, IPA: /'wəɪ.na.xɪ.ə/), officially the Republic of Waynakhia (Waynakh: Waynexaçönan Paçẋalq), is a sovereign state in the North Caucasus, Europe. Waynakhia consists of 24 provinces and 2 city regions with an equal status to the provinces. Waynakhia is bordered with Russia to the north and west, Georgia to the south, Dagestan to the south-east, and has a coast on the Caspian Sea to the east. The country has a total land area of 24,250 sq km, and a population of 2,239,954 at the 2020 census. The capital and largest city by population in Waynakhia is Sölƶa-Ġala, with a population of 245,911 at the 2020 census. Other large cities of the country include Gümsa, Näsare, Şela, Şolƶa-Pẋa, Xasi-Ġala, and Ẋalxa-Marta.
The earliest widespread human activity known in Waynakhia is from 12,500 BCE from ancient cave settlements with evidence of fire and tools. The earliest trace of human activity was around the area of Q̇özana 'Am dated to 40,000 BCE. In the first few centuries CE, the Nakh regions were almost constantly invaded, and the historical Nakh states formed close alliances with Georgia to the south. The state of Durdzuketia was formed, and grew in power and influence through the first millennium BCE and into the first few centuries CE. In the Middle Ages, the Nakh societies were often under foreign rule, but this was eventually overthrown, with Durdzuketia continuing to exist along with Simsir, another ancient Nakh state. The Mongol invasions destabilized the Nakh states, which eventually regained their independence and power. Later, arrival of Cossacks on the west bank of the Terka River led to increased conflicts.
The Caucasus Imamate, which included the Waynakh people, was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1858. Independence was re-established in 1918 with the Mountain Republic, but it was annexed back to Russia in 1923, after the establishment of Derzhavist Russia, which quickly invaded and absorbed numerous smaller states. The Mountain Republic was split up, and the Chechen-Ingush Region was created from part of it, with the Controlling Act of 1923 providing supreme power to the Russian leader. The region continued to exist in similar borders up to 1929, when the Russian Derzhavist Party reorganised the North Caucasus region politically and all rights to autonomy were removed. While the Derzhavist government initially promoted conservative North Caucasian cultures and societies as an ideal model for the rest of the state, this began to change as the state radicalised, beginning to despise all ethnic minorities and considering Russian Slavs to be superior.
The period from 1932 onwards marked a significant decrease in living standards in the region. The Derzhavist government primarily discriminated against Ukrainian, Polish and Baltic peoples, and the Chechen-Ingush population were initially spared from the worst discrimination. However, the continued promotion of Slavic culture as 'superior' eventually led to the Caucasus being targeted - aggressive militarisation of the state and society, along with ethnic-religious segregation within the army, led to Caucasian peoples being increasingly attacked by the Derzhavist state. While ethnic cleansing was narrowly avoided in most of the Caucasus, it was still severely impacted by the Highland Expulsions of 1932-34, where non-Russian ethnicities in the Caucasus Mountains were expelled from mountain and highland settlements to the lowlands. Ethnic identities of regions across the Caucasus were largely erased. The Chechen-Ingush Region was renamed in February 1932 to the Grozny Region, with major territorial changes designed to heavily dilute the ethnic makeup of the population, encouraging Slavic settlers to move to the area, and to divide Caucasian peoples between regions while destroying any cultural identity.
With the outbreak of the Great War, the region's oil production became essential to the Russian war effort. While many Russian Slavs were prioritised as soldiers, Chechen-Ingush people were soon forced massively to replace the mobilised ethnic Russians, working in the oil production industry or in factories producing weapons, ammunition and vehicles for the Russian war effort, widely in very poor and unclean conditions for little to no pay. This led to mass poverty and outbreaks of disease in the region, causing a dramatic decline of up to 50% of the native population throughout the next two years. By late 1935, anti-Derzhavist sentiment was spreading across the Caucasus, with underground resistance beginning region-wide. The Chechen-Ingush population took part in the resistance, and in 1936, limited funding from the Allied states towards revolutionaries in the Caucasus began. The region became loudly outspoken in its anti-war sentiment, and with Russia heavily occupied on the Eastern Front, limited attention was paid by the Derzhava to rebellions in the Caucasus.
Following the fall of Derzhavist Russia in 1938, the Allies wanted to curb Russia's extent and influence, and entertained the idea of creating new, permanently independent states out of it. The intention was to turn them into economically and militarily strong, European-aligned allies, which would become independent after a period of Allied occupation and supervision. The Highland Expulsions made the creation of new states in the Caucasus difficult, as ethnic lines which had been clear before the expulsions had been blurred or disappeared completely. It led to the restoration of pre-1932 regional borders, including for the Chechen-Ingush region, in addition to extra Russian territory as a buffer against any future Russian invasion. By 1940, the region had become known as Checheno-Ingushetia, and upon independence, Vainakhia.
While the region existed in relative peace under Allied supervision, severe ethnic conflicts rose up in the 1960s-80s, largely due to disagreements over populations, borders and resources, ultimately leading to the Caucasus Wars. They caused mass migration to Europe and the Middle East of many people from Caucasian ethnic groups, including from Waynakhia and neighbouring Dagestan due to the Aukh War. Reaching a peak in 1984, a European and Anatolian-led intervention launched, aiming to restore peace, rebuild the shattered Caucasus economies, and further integrate the region with Europe. As a result of the conflict, the Waynakh annexation of Aukh occurred, extending the country's borders eastwards to the Caspian Sea.
Since 1999, Waynakhia has enjoyed relatively stable economic growth, consistently among the highest of the SECA union. It is considered as a developing capitalist economy, ranked as "very high" on the Human Development Index since 2018. Political and economic relations are close with major trade partners such as other SECA member states, and like much of the Caucasus, the country retains close ties with Germany and the United Kingdom. Apart from SECA, Waynakhia is a part of the European Community, League of Nations, OPEC, and several more international organizations.
Etymology
The name Waynakhia originates from the ethnonym Waynakh, one of the Nakh peoples and the native ethnic group of Waynakhia. The Waynakh nation was divided into two separate peoples, Chechen and Ingush, until 2004 when they were officially recognized as one group (called Vaynakhs until the 2019 Waynakh orthography reform - the country was also known as Vaynakhia until then). The native name Waynexaçö follows the same basis - Waynex from "Way nax"/"Wey nax", translated to English literally as as "our people" - and suffix -çö, translated to English roughly as "the land of", with a usage similar to the suffix "-ia" in English. Therefore, the name Waynakhia literally translates as "the land of the Waynakhs", or more literally as "the land of our people". This convention was the basis of almost all new state names in the Caucasus.
The previous names, the Chechen region and Ingush region, come from place names. The former ethnonym "Chechen" was from the town of Çeçana, Orga-Xi Province, and the former ethnonym "Ingush" was from the village of Anguşt, Galashke Province. Neither name was ever used by the Waynakh people to refer to themselves and was a controversial topic at times in history - significantly, how the country was almost named Checheno-Ingushetia after the British mandate, with the name Vaynakhia adopted shortly before independence in order to curb what many people saw as a continued Russian influence over the country. Many ethnic groups of the Caucasus changed their names in English to reflect native pronunciation in 2004 along with the Waynakhs.
The country's name has historically or incorrectly been spelled as Wainakhia, Vainakhia, or Vaynakhia. At the time of independence, other name suggestions for the country included Durdzuketia, Nakhchetia and Nakhche, though none of these names were ever official for the modern country.
History
For centuries, Waynakh society has generally been organised around the clan (teip or taip) system. The Waynakh teips have historically numbered between 20 and by some estimates, up to 300, and are best described as a group within the Nakh peoples who come from a specific place or descend from a specific ancestor. Many teips form part of a larger group, the tukkhum, which can be described as a group of teips which held stronger relations with each other. The teip system has been a core element of Waynakh societal organisation since before the Middle Ages, and continues to significantly influence modern society. A traditional Waynakh proverb says that members of Waynakh society are "free and equal like wolves". Compared to the history of other North Caucasian peoples, Waynakh history is often considered to be the most poorly-studied, with limited research, and in some cases falsified information, continuing to impede development of research up to the present day.
Prehistory
The first known permanent human settlement in modern Waynakhia is believed to have occurred around 12,500 years before the present day, based on the discovery of mountain-cave settlements with evidence of fire, tools, and animal hides being used. Traces of human settlement in the region can be dated to around 40,000 years ago, with cave paintings and ancient artefacts in the area around Lake Q̇özana 'Am. Historians do not agree universally on the time period or extent of population of the region by Nakh ancestors, though most estimates place it around 10,000 to 8,000 years before present day, with some historians suggesting that the whole Eastern Caucasian language family may have originated then and there. Some research has suggested that the Proto-Nakh languages may have connections to the Fertile Crescent, based on the presence of words for early concepts such as the wheel, and observed similarities between the ancient Urartian and Hurrian languages with the Northeast Caucasian languages. Some historians also theorise that the Waynakh language and other Nakh-Dagestanian languages are the modern continuation of ancient proto-languages which ultimately led to the creation and rise of Western civilisation.
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Several successive prehistoric cultures have been identified in the region that is now Waynakhia; the earliest of these is the Kura-Araxes culture, with the establishment of towns approximately 8,000 years before the present day. Archaeological finds from the period have included pottery, stone weaponry and utensils, stone jewellery, basic tools, and clay dishes. Amjed Jemiq̇ue, a Circassian historian widely credited for research on Circassian and Waynakh culture and folklore, notes that Maykop culture and Kura-Araxes culture share many features, suggesting high cultural diffusion between the two. The Kura-Araxes culture's economy appears to be based mostly around cattle and farming, suggesting an early presence of agriculture in the region.
The trend of a technologically progressive Caucasus continued, with Kayakent culture emerging as early as 3,000 to 4,000 years before present day, a period that coincided with the Copper Age. Evidence of metalworking has been discovered, as well as more advanced weaponry, including daggers, knives, arrow heads and armour. Horse riding is thought to have entered the culture around 3,000 years before present day, likely due to contact with foreign tribes to the north and north-east. Agriculture was highly developed in the period, with evidence of raising of sheep and goats, as well as agricultural tools in the form of copper flint blades with wooden or stone handles. Construction materials were primarily stone and clay. The Kharachoi culture emerged at around the same time as the Bronze Age, with artefacts uncovered from the period including stone grain containers and clay jugs, which implies high development levels; some evidence suggests that hunting was still practiced during the period. By 10th century BCE, iron had become the main material used for industry, replacing stone, copper and bronze, coinciding with the rise of the Koban culture in the region. The most advanced culture in modern Waynakhia before recorded history, and the most well-studied, it emerged around 1,100 to 1,000 years BCE. A broad variety of archaeological remains have been discovered from the period, including ancient dwellings and bridges made of stone, iron objects and tools, clay and stone objects, altars and bones, along with agricultural items, such as sickles and stone grain grinders. There is evidence of agriculture around farming and grains (including wheat, rye and barley), as well as animal raising (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys and horses). There is also evidence of early industrial outputs, including shop-like structures with evidence of artisans working on pottery, bone-carving, stone-carving and sone-casting, along with signs of advanced metallurgy. One of the most explored sites of Koban culture was around the modern settlement of Sirƶa-Ewla.
Ancient history
While there is evidence of ancient Nakh settlement in the South Caucasus, with some historians arguing that a historical connection between the Nakh peoples and Nakhchivan can be determined, there is also extensive evidence of long-term settlement in the North Caucasus. The extent of this is not universally agreed by historians, with some arguing that ancient Nakh settlement may have covered areas as far apart as the Central Caucasus, Volga Delta, and Caspian Sea.
In the 6th and 7th centuries BCE, historians believe that the Cimmerians invaded the region, before advancing south to Urartu, with Scythians invading soon after. The Scythian invasions of the Caucasus are thought to have occurred from 6th century BCE, originating in modern Kazakhstan, with the two invasions pushing the Waynakh people away from the plains, even leading to brief disappearance of Waynakh settlements along the Terka River. Long-term conflict arose between the Waynakhs and the Scythians (Samartians), especially focusing on control of key rivers, which were central to Waynakh society at the time, with historical evidence of agriculture and settlements being focused on the territories around the rivers; the names of some rivers are believed to have ancient connections to these conflicts, including the Walarg-Xi River, whose names translates approximately to "river of the dead", and the Marta River, whose name is believed to have a similar meaning from a Samartian root word.
Historians disagree on the extent of Scythian and Samartian settlement in the region, and whether this marked the start of pre-Ossetian presence in the region, or if it was only later after the invasions that Scythian mass settlement in the region began, later assimilating with other nations in the area to form the Ossetian people. The post-invasion era included several periods of good relations between Scythians and Nakhs, with lots of evidence of cultural exchange between them. While Samartians/Scythians are thought to have originally had superior military skills and social stratification, Nakhs are thought to have been more technologically advanced, especially with concepts such as pottery and the wheel. Some historians believe that the Scythian presence in the central North Caucasus had split the pre-Nakh peoples in two, with the eastern part becoming the Wayakh nations, and the western part becoming the Malkh nation. While the Waynakh nations primarily established relations with Georgia, the early Malkh Kingdom established stronger relations with ancient Greek kingdoms. In the modern day, Mälxi (Malkhi) is one of the Waynakh tukkhums. While hostilities with the Samartians had apparently continued for a long time, relations eventually normalised, with a multi-ethnic state of Alania forming in the central North Caucasus.
Ancestors of modern Waynakhs were known as Durdzuks. Before his death, Targamos divided the region between his sons, with Kavkasos, the eldest and most noble, receiving the Central Caucasus area. Kavkasos' descendant, Durdzuk, took residence in a mountainous region of the north-east Caucasus, later naming the region "Durdzuketia", which became a strong state in the region in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. In the modern day, the Zurzakoy teip traces its ancestral lands to southern-central Waynakhia, with the ruins of the ancient village of Zurzuq̇a located at the border of today's Noxçi-Moxk, Ç̇ebarla, and Şüyta provinces, south-east of the village of Urus-Kert. The Durdzuks defeated the Scythians, becoming a significant power in the region during the first millennium BCE and allying with Georgia; the alliance was strengthened when King Farnavaz of Georgia married a Durdzuk princess, and the two nations worked together to help secure Georgia's control over its vassal states.
Medieval history
The majority of ancestors of modern Waynakhs are believed to have lived mostly along rivers and ridges in the Middle Ages, in places largely consistent with the modern-day ethnic territories. The vast majority of valleys in the upper reaches of the Dära-Äli, Es, Marta, and Orġa Rivers, saw the constructions of complex stone architectures, such as castles, shrines, churches, burial vaults, and towers, many of which survive to the present day. The towers, known as b'ownaş or bäwnaş in the Waynakh language, remain a popular national symbol of Waynakhia in the present day.
For the most part, the various Nakh societies were surrounded by Georgians to the south, Alans to the north and west, and Dagestani peoples to the east. Nakh peoples in Georgia largely assimilated into medieval Georgian society, while those in the North Caucasus remained separate from Georgia, ruled mainly by Alans or by the medieval Wayakh states of Durdzuketia and Simsir. Despite this, relations with Georgia remained strong, with some southern teips even adopting Christianity due to Georgian influences.
Waynakh society, by the Middle Ages, had been stratified into a feudal order, with a king and vassals, and the Waynakh state had been known as both Durdzuketia and Simsir, though historians disagree on the levels of similarity or difference between the state(s). At different points in time, Waynakhs came under the rule of Alans or Khazars, either as vassals or allies, between times of complete national independence, though in all cases, Waynakhs tried to maintain positive relations with their neighbours for trade and military purposes, both within the North Caucasus, and with Georgia in the south. While much trade occurred with geographical neighbours, signs of longer-distance trade have also been discovered, including with the Middle East. Excavations in various parts of Waynakhia have uncovered an eagle cast in Mesopotamia, as well as 200 Arabian silver coins, among other artefacts.
Until the 16th century, Waynakhs were mostly pagan, practicing ancient Waynakh religion, though Georgian missionaries also had limited success in converting a few highland teips to Christianity. However, these teips gradually returned to paganism during the Mongol invasions of the Caucasus.
During the Middle Ages, the two Waynakh states of Durdzukeria and Simsir emerged. Durdzuketia, allied to Georgia, was heavily influenced by its southern neighbour, with its writing, culture, and religion influenced to various extents by Georgia. For a short period in the 10th century, Christianity became the official state religion, though the religion had not been widespread in society. Georgian script was adopted for writing, with traces of Waynakh writing in the Georgian scripts still visible in most mountainous regions. Durdzuketia covered the highlands of modern Waynakhia, as well as the central and western plains, with the state being destroyed by the Mongol invasions. Simsir was often linked to Durdzuketia, but also experienced periods of independence from its neighbour, with its territory largely in the centre and centre-east of modern Waynakhia. Simsir allied with the Golden Horde, adopting Islam as the state religion afterwards, but it was later destroyed when Tamerlane invaded.
Mongol and Post-Mongol era
During the 13th century, the Mongols and their vassals launched large and long-term invasions of Durdzuketia. This caused massive death and destruction in Durdzuk society, but also shaped future society greatly. The ancestors of modern Waynakhs were one of the few peoples to successfully resist the Mongol invasions, successfully fighting off invasions twice, but this ultimately led to heavy destruction of the Durdzuk state; much of the country's written history was destroyed by the Mongols, with the writing about the Mongol invasions themselves intentionally destroyed by Russia in the 20th century. The Mongol invasions are still known to be some of the most significant events in Waynakh history, with long-ranging and long-term effects on the Waynakh people and country, with much Waynakh folklore discussing the determination of medieval ancestors to resist the Mongols and survive as the Waynakh nation.
However, the fierce resistance did not ultimately prevent the Durdzuk state's destruction, with pagan sanctuaries and Christian churches in the south almost entirely destroyed. Christianity could not sustain itself in Durdzuketia during the invasion, having already relied on connection to Georgia before, which led Christians in the country to return to paganism. Historical documents were also largely destroyed, and Durdzuketia soon ceased to exist as an independent state. Moreover, Mongol control over much of the Sölƶa River directly threatened the survival of the Durdzuk people, due to the importance of the rivers to their agriculture and economy. The feudal system also began to collapse as a result of the invasions. With the destruction of the state, lifestyle, historical knowledge, and religion in some regions, the Durdzuk people rebuilt their culture in many ways. Methods of resistance and ways of life were redeveloped, the teip system was used for battlefield organisation, and guerrilla tactics were developed with forests and mountains. Waynakh military towers became far more widespread and advanced at the same time, serving both as homes and fortresses that could be used for defence and to launch weapons at Mongol invaders. Due to the contribution of all members of Waynakh society at the time, the nation became more egalitarian in nature following the era of the Mongol invasions.
Following successful defence of the highlands, the Waynakhs attacked the Mongols in the plains, successfully retaking much of the territory until the second Mongol invasion. After this, the majority of the Sölƶa River returned to Waynakh control, though much of the Terka remained in foreign hands. Conflicts continued between Waynakh and Turkic peoples, which originated from the Mongol invasions when Waynakhs were driven out of the Terek and Sunzha rivers by Turco-Mongolian invaders, and continued as late as the 1750s and 1770s, as the Waynakh people gradually retook their land from Turkic settlers. The widespread return of Waynakhs from the mountains to the plains began as early as the 15th century, and was largely completed by the start of the 18th century. Despite the Nogai departure from the Waynakh plains, Kumyk and Kabardian lords still aimed to maintain control over the lands; they succeeded to varying degrees in different areas, though Waynakhs mostly disapproved of this. Later, a new feudal system developed in the Waynakh plains, as residents of these regions had become more socio-economically and technologically advanced than highland residents, though the system was overthrown in a major revolution a short time later. Waynakhs overthrew both their own lords and foreign ones, with feudalism abolished and replaced by a tukkhum-teip legal system, and laws of 'adat introduced. The "tukkhum-teip" system had democratic aspects, with the strong role of local courts and teips functioning as provinces, with representatives being elected by teip as well as by region. In the present day, much of the Mountain Region follows a similar, though modernised, system of government, with many local government areas and borders based on historic territories of clans, and Members of Parliament from these regions representing the ancestral territory and socio-economic interests of their teip. Amjed Jemiq̇ue described Waynakh abolition of feudalism as being "based on the trinity of democracy, liberty and equality", indicating the dominance of egalitarian views, and establishment of such institutions, in the region.
Russian Empire
The beginning of Russian expansionism into the Caucasus came with Ivan the Terrible's conquest of Astrakhan, with Russian influence in the region starting as early as the 16th century, with the construction of a Cossack fort in Targu (part of modern-day Dagestan) in 1559. Later, in 1577, Cossacks resettled from the Volga River valley to the Terka River valley established a pro-Russian Cossack host, and with Cossacks now settling in close proximity to North Caucasians, along with the rivalry between Persia and the Ottomans to the south, the region would become contested between all three empires for the next few centuries, ending with Russian victory in the 19th century.
Cossacks settled in the lowlands just north from the Terka River, in an area already in dispute between Nogais and Waynakhs, today approximately between the settlements of Nowra-Ġala and Ġizlar. The Waynakh highlands depended on the lowlands for agricultural produce, with the territory just beyond the Terka often considered to be part of the Waynakh lowlands. The Cossacks soon became the main regional rival, with raids by each group on the other's settlements and sabotaging of crops, between periods of relative peace. The Cossacks became distinctly pro-Russian, and Waynakh and Cossack raids soon became commonplace. In Waynakh society, raids soon took on more importance, as a way to feed the Waynakh population and children, with the raider becoming known as an obarg or ebarg in the Waynakh language, or abrek in Russian. While Waynakh society greatly respected obargs and had a viewpoint of them as heroes of valour, comparable to Robin Hood in English folklore, the obargs were used by Russians as an example of what they had called 'Waynakh barbarism', comparing it to 'Russian civilisation', considering the obargs as bandits. Today, the Russian viewpoint is widely considered to be colonial and racist.
As Russia set off to increase its political influence in the Caucasus, Peter I launched the Russo-Persian War, in which Russia succeeded in taking many of the Caucasian territories from Iran for several years. Continuing into the Caspian corridor and entering Persian-ruled Dagestan, Peter's forces ran into mountain peoples, with the Waynakhs routing the Russian forces. By 1732, Russia had ceded back to Persia much of the land it had taken, but continued its invasions. After their forces were ambushed and routed by Waynakhs near to the village of Çeçana, the Russians withdrew, referring to the defenders as "Chechentsi", or "Chechens" - when they first encountered Waynakhs further west at Anguşt, the residents there became known as "Ingushi", or "Ingush". Due to some differences in language dialects between the regions, they were originally recognised as two separate people by the Russian troops, with some political differences in recent decades having already caused some breaks in relations between the groups. Despite this, the two ethnonyms were not used by Waynakhs themselves, instead using "Noxçi" and "Ġalġai", respectively.
In 1783, Russia and the eastern Georgian kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti had signed a treaty intended to guarantee Russian protection against Persian influence in the region. Persia had ruled over Georgia at various times since 1555, and after another Persian invasion in 1795, ending with full Persian control over Georgia, Russia began to expand further into the region, apparently to protect Georgia as part of the treaty's obligations. Around the same time, the spread of Islam in Waynakh society began to increase, largely because Islam was associated with resistance against Russia. It first arrived in the 16th century, being fully adopted only by the 19th century.
Following the treaty with Georgia, the Russian Empire started to expand into the rest of the Caucasus, mainly to ensure that communications routes with Georgia were secured. Initially a conflict between Cossacks and Kumuks, the Russian army later sent its troops directly to the region, when Kumuk-allied Waynakhs began to support their neighbours. As a result, Russian troops adopted a strategy of pushing Waynakhs into the mountains and away from the more fertile plains, which served as the primary agricultural area of the time; however, resistance was fierce, with Waynakh-led counteroffensives against the Russians in order to retake the plains territories. Şayx Mansur, a Waynakh military commander of the time, rallied tends of thousands of fighters in the north-east Caucasus, and was especially active from 1785 to 1791, with Russian expansion into what is now Waynakhia being stalled for some time due to the intensity of the resistance from the Caucasians. Şayx Mansur remains a legendary figure in Waynakh society in the present day.
The neighbouring Dagestan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1813, after which time Russia began to move into the Waynakh highlands, trying to secure its routes to Persia. Later, Russia fought another successful war against Persia, and by 1828, was also victorious over the Ottomans, which released more Russian troops to focus on the Caucasus. In the same year, the Caucasian Imamate was established, including most of the Waynakh territories and those of many other peoples of the north-east Caucasus. Imam Şamil became a significant figure in the resistance, and even though the decision to unite Waynakhia, then known as Ichkeria, with Dagestan was not universally popular, many peoples of the region continued to fight against Russian expansion in the region. However, following Şamil's surrender in 1858, today's Waynakhia and parts of neighbouring Dagestan were absorbed into the Russian Empire; the legacy of Imam Şamil remains controversial in Waynakhia today, with a large contrast between his heavy-handed rule of Ichkeria and his determination to fight Russian expansion.
The Caucasian War had a detrimental impact on the demographics in the region - with high death rates and a prolonged wave of emigration due to the conflict, the Waynakh population of the Caucasus fell from at least 1.5 million in 1847 to as little as 116,000 by 1867, a decrease of over 90% in just 20 years. Russian ethnic cleansing and forced expulsions also began in the newly-conquered Caucasus territories in the 1860s; the Circassian genocide is the most notorious of these ethnic cleansings, but other peoples of the region, including Waynakhs, were also severely affected. The Arshtin nation, which was located between the Noxçi and Ġalġai, was almost completely destroyed, with the population falling from 1,366 families to just 75 as a result of the ethnic cleansing and expulsions, leading Arshtins to rejoin the Waynakh nation as the Orstxoy society.
Post-conquest
As Waynakhs fled their homeland or were deported to the Ottoman Empire by Russia, other peoples, including Terek Cossacks and Armenians, started to settle in the region. The presence of Cossacks in particular was extremely unpopular among native Waynakhs; in 1877, a rebellion arose, led by Ali Bek-Haji, a Waynakh imam, alongside similar rebellions among neighbouring Avars in Dagestan, led by Haji Mohammed. The main Waynakh force was dispersed on 3 May 1877 after a battle at Mayrtup, with the leadership surrounded in November of the same year. In December, Ali Bek-Haji and his naibs surrendered to Russia after a promised amnesty, but the majority of the force was hanged in March 1878. These events coincided with a major Abkhaz rebellion against Russian rule, and were compared to other rebellions by South Caucasians against Russian rule, which arose due to the population's disapproval of Russian colonial exploitation and brutality. Following the 1877 rebellion, many Waynakhs were dispossessed or exiled to the Ottoman Empire or Siberia, with local Cossacks, who mostly collaborated with Russia, receiving favoured treatment. Subsequently, open revolts against Russia were mostly abandoned by the peoples of the Caucasus until 1917, when the Russian Empire began to show signs of collapse.
During the 1860s and 1870s, however, the Waynakh peoples experienced a national awakening, in a more European sense of the term. Despite the absorption of the Caucasus into the Russian Empire and the conflict which preceded this, it led to the formation of a modern and European-styled nationalist sentiment among Waynakhs. At the basis of this new sentiment was that the nation was all-important, coming before political beliefs, religion, or any other distinctions. In 1870, Chakh Akhiġer wrote a compilation of Waynakh fairytales; in 1872-73, Akhiġer and Umalat Laudiġer recorded the contemporary customs of the Waynakhs. Other notable Waynakh nationalists of the time were Axmetxan, Ibrahim Sarakiġer, and Ismail Mutuşiġer, along with the Sheripiġar brothers.
By the end of the 19th century, major oil deposits had been discovered around Grozny, especially in 1893, coinciding with the arrival of railroads in the region; this led to the beginning of prosperity in the area, though the wealth was mostly concentrated among Russian colonists. The arrival of Russian settlers, and the resulting increase of other peoples settling in the area, led to increased division between the peoples living in the region, on both the bases of ethnicity and wealth.
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Early 20th Century
Mountain Republic
Resulting from the beginning of political instability in Russia and growing discontent with the Tsar and his government, various regions on the periphery of the empire began to break away and declare their independence. In March 1917, the Union of the Peoples of the Northern Caucasus was established, with an Executive Committee appointed to oversee its operations. Tapa Orcu Çermiġer was appointed its leader, and in August 1917, the Committee decided to readopt the 1847 Constitution of Imam Shamil.
On 11 May 1918, as the Russian empire began to collapse, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, or Mountain Republic, was declared. The new republic established a government led by Prime Minister Çermiġer, Rashid Khan Kaplanov, and Haidar Bammate, with its capital at first in Dzaudzikau, but later moved to Termirxan-Şura. The Republic received support from Said Shamil, the grandson of Imam Shamil, and gained international recognition from various countries. The United Kingdom formed an alliance with Russian general Anton Denikin and made efforts to reinstate Tsarist rule in the region.
Russian revolution and annexation
Derzhavist Russia
Great War
After the outbreak of the Great War, many ethnic Russians were conscripted to the army, and the Russian populations in the North Caucasus fell significantly from 1932 onwards. The non-Slavic ethnicities of the area were persecuted and considered unfit for military service, and like many other non-Russian ethnicities under the Derzhavist government, people in the Caucasus were used as forced labour in factories to produce weapons, ammunition and vehicles for the war effort. Working conditions were widely unclean and unsafe, with little to no pay despite dangerously high working hours. People who refused to work were often murdered or sent to concentration camps.
Russian Derzhava was one of the Axis powers in the Great War, along with Derzhavist France, its main ally in Europe. The Invasion of Poland by Russia was one of the most notorious events of the Great War, and marked the beginning of Derzhavist Russia's plan to expand beyond its pre-war borders. It continued to expand across Europe through 1954, though the Allies were able to begin reversing Axis gains in 1955. Following the fall of Derzhavist France and the liberation of Germany, the Allied powers began making in-roads into Russia. Due to the major oil industry in the Chechen and Ingush regions, the Allies considered the Caucasus to be a key location, and the city of Sölƶa-Ġala, then known as Grozny, was an important location in the conflict - the Allies intended to secure the oil deposits in the area, which would hinder the ability of Russia to continue mass production and use of vehicles, and cities in the North Caucasus being occupied by the Allies would disconnect the South Caucasus from the rest of Russia, which would hinder the ability of Russia to defend those territories. Despite this, the front line never reached the Caucasus, with the main Allied push focusing on central Russia, and particularly the capital, Moscow.
As a result of this, Allied forces began to undertake alternative methods to destabilise Russian control over the Caucasus, beginning in 1933 with secret support for anti-Derzhavist protests and saboteurs in Georgia. Early signs of success from this funding, and further anti-Derzhavist uprisings across the region - with the Waynakh peoples especially active in the uprisings - led to this secret support being spread to other parts of the Caucasus. With the Derzhavist forces largely busy defending on the western front, the widespread revolts against Derzhavist Russia and the massive collaboration of local populations with the Allies largely went ignored by the authorities, enabling the Caucasus regions to further separate itself from Russia. The Derzhavist government itself fell in late 1938, when the Allies reached and occupied Moscow.
British Mandate
In 1938, after the fall of the Derzhavists, the Allied powers divided Russia into a number of occupational zones, with Germany, Sierra and the United Kingdom holding the majority of areas. The United Kingdom's occupational zone included much of southern Russia and the Caucasus, as well as the Volga and Ural areas. The original plan of the Allies was to permanently divide Russia into the occupational zones, but the idea of retaining a Russian rump state and creating new, independent states from areas of the country populated with ethnic minorities later emerged. The Partition of Russia began in 1940. The former Russian empire was split into numerous countries; a rump state centered in Moscow remained as the Russian Empire's successor state, which reconstituted itself as the Russian Democratic Republic and adopted a new constitution in 1942, continuing to exist today.
In the Caucasus region, the political reorganisation under the British Mandate began in late 1940. The original borders of Waynakhia were, at first, proposed to include the territory of the Grozny region and a small part of what was then the Vladikavkaz region which had been part of the Chechen-Ingush Region prior to 1932. The territories above the Terka River were intentionally left within its proposed borders to act mainly as a "buffer zone" against any potential future Russian invasions, as well as the large number of ethnic Waynakhs in some of these areas due to forced migrations by the Derzhavist government. However, the new borders proposed in the Caucasus were extremely unpopular with the native peoples for several reasons - in particular, it was believed that Muslim-majority ethnic groups had been disadvantaged with the borders of the new states, while largely Christian peoples, such as Ossetians, had received larger amounts of land with greater economic strength. Moreover, while the Caucasian peoples had hoped for historical homelands to define the new borders, the British mandate based many borders on those created by Russia, which often followed geographical features or arbitrary lines, along with deliberately blurring ethnic lines during the Highland Expulsions.
As a result of great discontent and protesting by Waynakhs and other peoples of the Caucasus, the proposed borders of the region were greatly modified once more; the Chechen-Ingush Region's borders were largely restored to the pre-1932 boundaries, though the Naursky, Shelkovskoy, and Kargalinsky districts of the neighbouring Stavropol territory were left within its borders, due to the stronger economic connection of the three districts with Grozny. The northern part of the Grozny region was established as the separate entity of Nogaistan. Moreover, the Aukh district, which had been almost mono-ethnically Waynakh prior to 1932, was left within the borders of Dagestan; many peoples from the mountainous parts of Dagestan remained in their new territories in the lowlands, as the villages which ethnicities from the highlands had lived in no longer existed, preventing them from being returned there. This left many Waynakh people and settlements outside of the new region's borders, leading to regular, low-level disputes between Waynakhia and neighbouring Dagestan.
The British mandate primarily focused reconstruction efforts in the major cities and towns of the Caucasus, and many smaller towns and villages saw little recovery compared to larger cities such as Grozny and Nazran. In many cases, mountainous villages were not restored at all during the mandate, and mass migration to cities and larger towns occurred by people searching for work. Unemployment rates remained at over 60% for the years of the British mandate, with rebuilding mainly focused on housing, roads, schools, and some factories, along with the oil industry. Agricultural recovery was slow, and remained at or just above subsistence level in most of the country for several years. During this period, the Waynakh regions became known as "British Checheno-Ingushetia", or simply Checheno-Ingushetia. The Chechen-Ingush Region was officially renamed to British Checheno-Ingushetia in 1940.
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Independence
By 1941, the peoples of the Caucasus had become increasingly agitated for full independence from Russia, around the same time as the Allied powers began to entertain the idea of creating permanent, independent states from Derzhavist Russia. The idea received great support from Caucasian peoples and other non-Russian ethnicities across the country, and at the Moscow Summit in 1941, many independent states were prepared for their separation from Russia. The new states originally were supposed to keep their names, with the removal of the mandatory power - however, this caused controversy in some areas. The ethnonyms "Chechen" and "Ingush" were never used by the Waynakhs themselves, and were widely seen as a continued Russian influence over the area. As a result, upon its independence, British Checheno-Ingushetia adopted the name Vaynakhia, based on the self-name of its native people, and an anglicised version of its spelling. On 22 August 1941, the British mandate ended, establishing Vaynakhia as an independent country.
Post-independence
In the weeks following the independence of the various ethnic republics across Russia, the Allied Powers began to establish a new government in the remaining Russian rump state. By XXXX, this was completed, and the new government was granted 'authority of the sovereign state', taking power in XXXX and renaming Russia as the Russian Federative Republic. The new Russian government unofficially recognised the independence of the states, including Vaynakhia, though did not extend formal recognition at the time.
Meanwhile, the economies of many Caucasus regions remained in difficulty, and Vaynakhia continued to be an under-developed country throughout the 1950s. Despite efforts to rebuild, discussions on reparations payments with Russia mediated by the Allies, made little to no progress, and stalled by 19XX. Vaynakhia's economic recovery was limited outside of the oil industry, and other states with smaller populations or less economic assets saw continued declines. With collapsing economies and health systems, poor living conditions, and high food prices, a slow but steady wave of migration began from countries across the Caucasus towards Northern Europe and the Middle East; many people looked to emigrate to countries where post-war recovery was faster, as very little foreign investment had been directed back to the Caucasus, with the region being considered as less significant than Western Europe and Russia. As a result, the population of the North Caucasus dropped by as much as one third throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
During the early years of independence, Waynakhs who were residents of the Aukh district before the Highland Expulsions began to return to the district, now part of Dagestan, and attempted to reclaim their homes from Dagestani settlers. While the effort was initially peaceful, with shared understanding on both sides that Waynakhs and Dagestanis had been forcefully expelled from their homes, and that Dagestanis had no choice other than to move to the Aukh region on Derzhavist orders, the lack of progress on finding a solution led to agitation from both sides. A political solution was reached, with the creation of a new district and villages in eastern Dagestan for the Dagestani residents of Aukh district and the subsequent return of the territory to Vaynakhia. The region remained volatile, with major skirmishes between Waynakh and Dagestani residents occurring, particularly when sovereignty over the district was transferred in 196X; Aukh became the most unstable region in Vaynakhia, with more extremist components in Dagestan's government calling for land and property belonging to ethnic Waynakhs in other parts of Dagestan to be confiscated in exchange for the 'loss' of the Aukh district.
Cold War
During the Cold War era, much of the Caucasus remained outside of the main theatres of crises; however, the region's political elite had started to view the Allied Powers, especially the British, as the reason for the region's survival, along with its people's survival of the Derzhavist oppressions. As a result, the majority of the new countries in the region, including Vaynakhia, moved politically closer to the British-led bloc and towards Europe, maintaining and building relations with British-leaning, capitalist Northern European countries to prevent the Caucasus from being forgotten or abandoned. However, the Caucasus also initially refused to join the Northern Treaty Organisation, largely due to its countries not wanting to take part in an alliance in which Russia was a member. By the 1950s, most of the Caucasus region had established military and economic relations with the European Allies, with the exception of Azerbaijan, which moved politically closer to Iran.
By 1960, the European Coal and Steel Community had been established, beginning to expand from the early 1960s onwards, and being renamed to the European Economic Community in 1965. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Germany had established itself as the dominant economic power in Europe, which led to a considerable Waynakh diaspora appearing in the country in search of work opportunities, and it also began to exercise political influence across the continent. By this time, the 'Caucasian states' as they had become known, began to show interest in becoming members of the organisation, as well as NTO, citing the large diaspora in the region, and the need to integrate with Europe for economic and defence purposes, as its main reasons. German political leaders showed interest in bringing the Caucasus to closer integration and encouraging relaxation on migration rules from the Caucasian states. On the other hand, other key member states, including Britain, showed more restraint, due to the continued political and economic instability in the region, with concerns that inviting the unstable Caucasus into the bloc could cause greater instability.
As the other Allied Powers had discussed, political instability in the Caucasus continued to escalate, with the late 1960s seeing ethnic tensions boiling over in Georgia and leading to a civil war, along with border conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. With much of the region descending into chaos, the conflicts during the period became known as the Caucasus Wars; the instability in the south soon began to spread northwards, especially following Armenian successes against Azerbaijan, leading to the Dagestani government of the time becoming increasingly revanchist and calling for areas of Azerbaijan with Avar and Lezgin population majorities to be returned to Dagestan. With ongoing disputes between Dagestan and Vaynakhia over the Aukh region extending into the 1970s, increasing hostility occurred on both sides, with Dagestani authorities beginning to confiscate land and property belonging to Waynakhs and giving it to native Dagestani peoples. In response to Dagestani calls for Avar and Lezgin regions of Azerbaijan to be handed over to it, the Vaynakh government stated that Waynakh-populated territories should be returned by Dagestan. The Dagestani government reacted by becoming openly hostile towards Vaynakhia and threatening to retake parts of Vaynakhia's territory which had been given to it by Derzhavist authorities in the 1920s and 1930s, particularly in the Aukh district, which had been returned to Vaynakhia with a majority population of Avars and Laks. Dagestani militarisation, apparently with intentions to forcibly take over parts of Azerbaijan, started to expand even more quickly, which led to subsequent effort by Vaynakhia to build up its military strength to fend off any attempted invasions. By the middle of the decade, the situation had begun to boil over, with Dagestan claiming sovereignty over the region in 1977. Subsequently, Dagestani armed forces were sent into the district, followed by citizens; Vaynakhia responded by sending its own armed forced back into the district, leading to both countries descending into all-out war.
Late 20th Century
Dagestan-Waynakhia Conflict
The Aukh War, also known as the Dagestan-Waynakhia Conflict, was a war that lasted from 1978 to 1984. Fought between Dagestan and Waynakhia, the conflict is widely regarded to be the last major conflict of the Caucasus Wars of the late 20th century.
The Aukh War was sparked from a number of factors; in the decades prior, Dagestan and Waynakhia had been involved in fierce disputes over territory, which had roots in the Highland Expulsions, perpetrated by Derzhavist Russia in the 1930s. The two states had broken away from Russian control during the later years of the Great War, with their independence recognised by major world powers, and later made permanent following the partition of Russia. While ethnic lines had been clear previously, they were blurred significantly by Derzhavist authorities, leaving both countries' borders in a fragile condition, and incidents regularly flared up in areas on both sides of the border, especially in the years prior to the conflict.
The war is generally agreed to have started in 1978, with the Dagestani invasion and occupation of much of Waynakhia's Aukh District - a historically Waynakh region, much of its population was expelled by the Derzhavist authorities and replaced by people from mountainous parts of Dagestan. During border agreements in the 1950s, a fragile peace was negotiated, with Waynakhia dropping any claims on other Dagestani territory outside of Aukh District, in return for the annexation of the area from Dagestan. In later years, however, the Dagestani government grew increasingly hostile towards Waynakhia over the perceived "Waynakhisation" of the area. The occupation of the district lasted for just over a year; however, Dagestani government demands were met with Waynakhia's refusal to hand the district back. The conflict expanded in late 1979, with the armed forces of Dagestan invading much broader parts of Waynakhia, with the stated goal of reclaiming territory which it had been given by Derzhavist Russia.
Initially, the armed forces of Waynakhia struggled to defend against the incursions, with calls for manpower from European allies being unanswered. However, European countries began to supply ammunition and weapons to Waynakhia in response to the Dagestani invasion - the front line was stabilised in late 1980, and Waynakh forces began to push Dagestani forces out of large parts of the country in 1981, including several areas which Dagestan claimed to have annexed. In 1982, Dagestan launched a renewed push into the Aukh district, attempting to retake the area once again. This led to a change in Waynakh strategy, with subsequent pushes into Dagestan itself - initially creating a "buffer zone" in the Khasavyurt province of Dagestan, Waynakhia launched a surprise offensive into the Babayurt province in the summer of 1982, with the successful occupation of multiple Waynakh-majority settlements in both of the provinces. Dagestan repositioned troops in an effort to push Waynakh forces out of its territory; however, the frontline remained mostly steady, and the conflict largely stalled over the following winter.
The conflict gained pace again in early 1983; with Waynakhia's army reinforced over the winter, it launched renewed offensives against Dagestan on multiple fronts in the area. The spring of 1983 saw significant changes in the front lines, with the Battle of Bammatyurt leading to catastrophic losses for Dagestan; the largely fortified settlement had a Waynakh population majority, and the 'feigned retreat' tactic used by Waynakh forces drew many Dagestani forces away from the settlement. Waynakhia successfully captured the village in May 1983, with the limited defences beyond it allowing a rapid Waynakh advance to the east. At the same time, Waynakhia achieved advances in the Babayurt Province, with the bare landscape providing few opportunities for defensive lines to be established. The summer of 1983 saw new Dagestani offensives into mountainous parts of Waynakhia, in a failed effort to draw Waynakh forces away from the Babayurt province front. 1984 saw rapid Waynakh advances into northern parts of Khasavyurt city, marking a major setback for Dagestan. The year also saw some of the largest escalations of the conflict, with Waynakhia's successful advance up to the Sulak River east of Khasavyurt, along with a major Dagestani offensive in Babayurt coinciding with Waynakh advances towards Kokrek. Large parts of Dagestan were logistically cut off and quickly occupied by Waynakhia, with the major battles shifting south towards Khasavyurt City by the start of summer.
In August 1984, when the conflict reached a relative stalemate, European allies persuaded both countries to enter high-level negotiations to end the conflict; though diplomatic progress was very slow, small breakthroughs did occur, especially regarding the mountainous part of the Dagestan-Waynakhia border and a Dagestani withdrawal from occupied parts of southern Waynakhia. Continued diplomacy occurred throughout 1984 and 1985, with a ceasefire signed on the basis of Dagestani recognition of Waynakh control, though not sovereignty, over the occupied areas, an open border between the occupied and unoccupied areas of each country, the presence of international observers and peacekeepers on both sides, no changes to administrative or political boundaries, guarantees on the safety, dignity, equal treatment, and freedom of all civilians, reparations payments by both sides and reconstruction efforts, steps towards European integration for both Waynakhia and Dagestan (along with the rest of the Caucasus), and a referendum in 10 years on the final status of the occupied territories.
With the active phase of the conflict over, high tension remained between Waynakhia and Dagestan for several years, though German-led mediation did contribute to relative success in the process of reparations and reconstruction, along with gradually easing tensions between the countries, especially in the early 1990s. In September 1995, under strict international observation, the referendums on the status of the occupied territories was held; the results were largely divided along ethnic lines, with Waynakh and Nogai settlements favouring Waynakhia, while Kumuk and Avar settlements largely voted to rejoin Dagestan. A majority of votes, however, were in favour of joining Waynakhia, with the country's government granting dual citizenship to Dagestanis who wished to remain in, or return to, the occupied territories. By December 1995, the Waynakh annexation of Aukh had been finalised, with the occupied areas of Dagestan incorporated into Waynakhia as Xasi-Gala Province and Babaw-Yurt Province. Long-term protests continued, however, especially in Avar-majority settlements close to the border with Dagestan, leading to the Waynakh government agreeing in 1996 to hold a future referendum on the status of some areas.
A final peace agreement was signed between Dagestan and Waynakhia in late 1995, officially ending the Aukh War and, by extension, the Caucasus Wars. While tensions between both Dagestan and Waynakhia remained high, the two countries did continue on their trajectory of European integration, with regular negotiations led by Germany, the United Kingdom, and Anatolian Republic leading to noticeable improvements in the countries' diplomatic and socio-economic ties across the second half of the decade; significant steps included the Anatolian-mediated expansion of Dändarg, Waynakhia's national automotive manufacturer, into Dagestan, along with the Waynakh-funded construction of a new suburb of Anji-Kala for Dagestanis displaced from the annexed territories. Both countries became members of SECA in 1999, and the European Community in 2005.
Contemporary history
In November 1999, the first post-conflict presidential election took place in Waynakhia, with Ƶowxar Dudaġer of the Waynakh Democratic Party winning the election by a landslide. The party positioned itself strongly against Landonism and against conflict, with values aligned towards European integration and the continued development of a capitalist economy, leaning towards membership of the EC and NTO. Dudaġer built on the economic foundations created by Germany, continuing to invest in the revitalisation of the core economic sectors, while also starting a programme of "full separation" from the Russian sphere of influence. From 1992, the Waynakh language had been reformed and began to use a modified version of the Latin script, with adaptations for unique Waynakh sounds. The new Waynakh naxar had been introduced as the state currency in 1996, replacing the Russian ruble and the previous naxar, and the new naxar became the sole legal tender from 1997. Initially, Dudaġer also retained similar economic policies to those set by Germany and the European capitalist bloc, though the policies gradually evolved, particularly in favour of redeveloping the country's mountainous regions; unofficial rehabilitation of the highlands had occurred in previous years, but official policies were enacted by Dudaġer's government in the summer of 2003. The redevelopment plan was characterised as a domestic-led extension of the (TBD) Plan, with details including the redevelopment of 50 major settlements including administrative and historical centres. This won widespread popular support for Dudaġer, who won the March 2004 presidential election with a majority, and the WDP won the year's parliamentary election.
With the Waynakh economy experiencing rapid growth, the country's aspirations for European Community membership received a boost, and Waynakhia officially joined the bloc in 2005. The Caucasus Railway's expansion across Waynakhia was completed later in the year, with the first cargo trains travelling from Tbilisi to Solzha-Gala in the early summer of 2005. Economic development in the country continued at a rapid pace until the 2008 financial crisis, when the redevelopment of mountainous regions was temporarily stopped, in favour of securing the continued functioning of the Waynakh economic base, which was centred on the lowland regions. Support for Dudaġer's government fell as economic growth fell into recession; however, Dudaġer retired from politics in 2009, having completed the maximum possible two terms as president. The March 2009 election was highly competitive, with Arslan Masẋadaġer of the WDP being elected president - despite winning the most seats, the party did not secure a majority in parliament, leading to a coalition government with (TBD) and (TBD). Masẋadaġer largely continued to follow the economic policies of the previous governments, though the financial crisis caused an increased reliance on Europe; a new visa and citizenship scheme was launched in 2011, encouraging Waynakhs living overseas to return to the country and support its economic recovery. However, the government failed to effectively deal with the increased population from those returning to the country; despite the country's lower cost of living than much of Europe, employment opportunities were limited following the financial crash, and the available stock of housing and healthcare was too limited to serve adequately to the needs of the population. Support for the WDP fell significantly through the following years, resulting in the March 2014 election being won by the opposition the Waynakh National Party under the leadership of President Aẋmat Daudaġer - while boosting economic output with wide-reaching job creating schemes, the new government invested heavily in infrastructure spending, especially in the mountainous region. It also promised to revitalise the country's healthcare system, which it had criticised as being in "an impossible situation" and "at risk of imminent collapse".
Due to the financial crisis, direct economic support from Europe to the Caucasus had trailed off, leaving the WRP government relying largely on the domestic economy and the limited funding it received from the European Community - it turned out that the available funding for the party's ambitious projects was less than half of what was required. Consequently, the development of the mountainous region was slow, and eventually suspended again in favour of supporting the existing economy in the country's plains. The failure of the WRP to follow up on its main election pledges was seen as an embarrassment, and despite economic growth overtaking its pre-crash levels under the new government, the lack of progress on developing the mountainous regions and strengthening the healthcare system led to a collapse in support.
The March 2019 presidential election was won by Şamil Aydamirġer of the Waynakh Democratic Party with a small majority of seats; as well as promising to provide a comprehensive programme to modernise and strengthen the healthcare system, releasing detailed planning on this proess, Aydamirġer capitalized on the failure of the WRP to restore the mountainous region. Focusing on how unemployment in every one of the few populated villages was above 60%, he promised to make "significant progress" on restoring the highlands by the March 2024 election, "no matter what happens". Aydamirġer led the 2019 Waynakh orthographic reform, passed the Local Government Reform Act 2019, and changed the country's name from Vaynakhia to Waynakhia, describing the adjustment as "de-Russifying our country's name" - despite the previous spelling, the 'W' sound had been used for its name since the 1970s, with the presence of the letter V seen as a "remnant of Russia's influence". In addition, as the economy of the lowland regions was predicted to slow, Aydamirġer created a team of economic advisors to create plans for a scaled down version of the economic recovery plan to apply to the mountain regions. This was prepared and was due to start from April 2020, with unused funding allocated to the Greater Owxa region reinjected into the Highland Recovery Fund, to allow economic growth in the mountainous regions while retaining all existing funding for the lowlands.
In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Waynakh government closed the country's borders in March 2020 to everyone except for Waynakh citizens and permanent residents. The first community cases were identified later in the month, and the country opted to take an elimination strategy. After a two-month nationwide lockdown from 25 March to 29 May, Aydamirġer launched the Highland Recovery and Healthcare Plan 2020 national projects. Support for the government reached a record high of 83%, and a snap parliamentary election in June 2020 resulted in an absolute majority of 328 seats for the incumbent WDP. The country introduced regional-level restrictions to manage COVID-19, with limited lockdowns in September-October 2020 and March-April 2021; the successful containment of the virus allowed its economy to function relatively normally, and despite a global collapse in air travel causing severe damage to the kerosene industry in 2020, national income remained high through oil exports, enabling large-scale investment in improving the healthcare service and developing the highlands. Waynakh agricultural output reached a record high in 2021, with the cultivation of arable land in mountainous regions. Waynakhia entered nationwide lockdown in September-October 2021 due to a community outbreak of COVID-19, with the Highland Recovery temporarily suspended. Facing rising cases nationwide, the government switched to a suppression strategy against the virus, resuming the project; from February 2022, Waynakhia began to reopen its borders to the rest of the world.
Major progress on the Highland Recovery occurred in the 2019-24 parliamentary period, with construction of roads and critical infrastructure largely completed, with the beginning of economic amenities and housing construction by December 2022. The incumbent Waynakh Democratic Party won the 2024 elections, maintaining popular support across much of the country, and winning almost all parliamentary seats in the Mountain Region; however, it lost many seats in the Plains Region to the new opposition Adat Party, due to a perceived lack of investment in the lowland provinces' economies in favour of the southern mountainous provinces. Following the success of Adat - the second-largest party in parliament as of 2024 - which focused on healthcare, education, cost of living and corruption as its central issues, the WDP has increased investment in these areas, as well as working with Adat to improve the counry's education and law enforcement systems. Adat aims to tackle Waynakhia's cost of living crisis by increasing wages and productivity in key sectors, as well as increasing national economic self-sufficiency and agricultural capacity.
Geography
Location and borders
Waynakhia is situated in the eastern part of the North Caucasus, Europe, on the geographical boundary with Asia. Despite an area of only 24,250 sq km, the ethnic diversity of the Caucasus Mountains means that Waynakhia shares borders with many other countries and states relative to a state of its size. It shares a border with Russia's republic of Nogaistan to the north-east and north, Russia's Stavropol region to the north-west, the republics of Ossetia and Circassia to the west, Georgia to the south, and Dagestan to the south-east. Waynakhia also has a short coastline on the Caspian Sea to the east, including Agrakhan Peninsula (Uç-Kos) and Noxçi-Ġaire. The coastline sits between the mouths of the Terka River and the Ġoy-Xi River and is significant for trade with Kazakhstan and Iran. The coastal area is part of Kaspi Province, named after the Caspian Sea.
Geology and hydrography
The most significant and defining feature of Waynakhia is the Caucasus Mountains, which occupy the entire southern third of the republic and are considered to be the historical cradle and true homeland of Waynakh society. They throughout history had been the area where society thrived, with each Waynakh clan having its own mountain and territory. Thousands of villages existed across the Waynakh part of the Caucasus, and more than 600 villages existed in the southern regions with a permanent population until the Highland Expulsions. The highest point of Waynakhia, Tüyla-Lam, at 4,493 meters, is located in the Caucasus Mountains, on the border between the Galay-Chazh Province and Chanta Province. The mountainous region of Waynakhia has a significant river network, with many hundreds of small streams and rivers flowing between the mountains, some seasonal and others year-round. The main rivers of the area include the Ḉänta-Orga and Şara-Orga, Şolƶa, Es, and Marta/Forta. The upper reaches of the Terka River also define a part of the border between Waynakhia and Ossetia.
The territory of Waynakhia lying between the Caucasus Mountains and Terka River is mainly defined by plains. The national capital, Sölƶa-Ġala, sits in the center of the republic, with all 6 of the major cities of the republic and around 40 other large population centers in its central plains. In general, fertile land between settlements is used for agriculture, and the plains region accounts for the majority of the Waynakh economy in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. The plains region has fewer rivers than the mountains, but the rivers of the lowlands are wider and carry far more water. Sölƶa-Ġala takes it names from the Sölƶa, which catches the other major rivers before it flows into the Terka. The northern provinces, beyond the Terka, are somewhat fertile in the areas along the river bank, but most of their territory is steppe and is barren, with very little development.
Tüyla-Lam, viewed from Georgia
Q̇özana 'Am, in Chebarla Province, on the border with Awaristan
Şolƶa River near to Näsara in winter
Sölƶa River flowing through Sölƶa-Ġala in summer
Forested foothills in southern Marta Province
Village of Xo, Chebarla Province, with the Ax-Keta River valley
Mountains in Xulanda, Shara Province
Sunset in Gürƶi-Moxk, Noxchi-Moxk Province
Ruins of the ancient village Ägeqala, Galashke Province
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Climate
Despite its small size, Waynakhia covers almost all climate types, and altitude, topography and proximity to the Caspian Sea are a few of the factors which determine climate of different areas in the country. Generally, the plains regions are cold, no dry season, warm summer (Köppen: Dfa), with small areas falling into the temperate, no dry season, warm summer (Köppen: Cfa) zone. Much of the mountainous region is cold, no dry season, warm summer (Köppen: Dfb), with parts of all Mountain Region provinces falling into the cold, no dry season, cold summer (Köppen: Dfc) category. In more remote and extremely high-altitude areas in the far south, some areas have polar tundra climates (Köppen: ET). Much of northern and eastern Waynakhia is in the arid, steppe, cold (Köppen: BSk) climate zone, though much of the territory is heavily irrigated by rivers and canals, making large parts of this area agriculturally productive. Some areas in the extreme north and north-east of Waynakhia are considered as arid, desert, cold (Köppen: BWk), particularly on the Agrakhan Peninsula (Uç-Kos), Noxçi-Ġaire Island, and small areas of the northern provinces. Winters are cold, and snowfall is common in winter across the entire territory of the republic, more so in the mountainous regions than plains regions. In the mountains, the first snow often falls in late October, with regular snow throughout winter, finally disappearing in mid March; snow in the plains is more limited, and usually only appearing in December, January and February. Due to high rates of desertification in the country's north and north-east, due to the natural expansion of the Nogai Steppe and the historical destruction of land in Nogaistan and Kalmykia from overgrazing, the Waynakh government actively seeks to create green belts in these regions, in order to protect settlements and agricultural land from the most severe impacts.
Weather conditions in various regions of Waynakhia are influenced by altitude, climate zones, and distance to the Caspian Sea, among other factors. In the more arid northern regions, winters are usually shorter than in the rest of the country, with low humidity and low rates of snowfall occasionally disrupted by blizzard conditions; annual precipitation is low in these regions, averaging 300-350mm. Regions in the plains experience more varied weather conditions, with hot summers and cold winters - annual precipitation averages 500-600mm in these areas, largely in part due to the proximity of the Caucasus Mountains. Tornadoes occasionally occur in the plains regions, sometimes causing varying levels of damage. The forested foothill-mountain areas experience the highest annual precipitation in Waynakhia, averaging 700-900mm per year, which can cause landslides; beyond the forested areas and into the mountains, precipitation averages 700-800mm annually. More high-mountainous areas experience decreasing rates of precipitation, with levels decreasing below 500mm annually and eventually turning mainly to snow at the most extreme altitudes up to the snow line. The highest recorded temperature in Waynakhia was 44 °C (111 °F) in July 2018 in Qara-Qälla; the lowest recorded temperature in Waynakhia was −31 °C (−24 °F) in December 2021 near to Tüyla-Lam.
Environment
Waynakhia's coverage of almost all climate types and its extreme variations in altitude and topography lead to major variations in environment across different parts of the country. It is divided into several ecoregions which all have distinct characteristics in terms of flora and fauna. Relatively few of the country's endemic species have been threatened by human activity due to limited development of the mountainous region and the set of environmental regulations in the country. Some plants and animals previously believed to be extinct in the North Caucasus have been sighted in contemporary times in Waynakhia, including the Caucasian leopard in some of the country's mountainous southern provinces, confirming their presence and continued survival in the region.
Waynakhia has a number of national and provincial parks which are protected by the national or local governments; the largest national park, the Waynakh National Park, covers much of the southern part of the country. The national government owns the majority of public land in the country, though some parts are leased for purposes such as commercial logging, mining or oil-drilling. There are strict regulations on such activity, which become even tougher inside the national parks and mountainous areas of the country in order to prevent pollution of the environment.
Politics
Waynakhia is a unitary parliamentary republic with a largely ceremonial president. The current system of government was established in 1948, soon after the country's independence, and its continuation was guaranteed in the 1992 and 2019 constitutional amendments. The country has a unicameral legislature in the form of the Parliament of Waynakhia, which serves a five-year term and is elected through referendums. The President of Waynakhia is also elected through a referendum and is typically sworn in with approval from the Parliament. The central government of Waynakhia is in the capital city, Sölƶa-Ġala, which serves as the national government; each of the provinces has a local government which is responsible for a variety of services. On a global level, Waynakhia is a member of several international organizations, including the League of Nations, European Community, SECA, and OPEC, among others.
Government
The Government of Waynakhia (Waynakh: Waynexaçönan Maxkalla), sometimes formally abbreviated to Mekh-Kel (Mexkel) and informally to Waygov, is the supreme body of executive power in Waynakhia that implements the domestic and foreign policies of the country. It consists of the President - the head of the government and state - and the Parliament of Waynakhia, as well as other ministers including those in local government. Parliament members are known as Members of Parliament, or as Parliament Representatives (parlamentan wekalaş). The current powers and responsibilities of the Government are governed by the current Constitution of Waynakhia, passed in 2019. The incumbent government is that of Şamil Aydamirġer, in power since 28 March 2024 as a result of the 2024 Waynakh presidential election held on 19 March 2024.
President
The President of Waynakhia (Waynakh: Waynexaçönan Prezident) is the head of government and state of Waynakhia. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. The president is directly elected by the citizens of Waynakhia for a five-year term of office (whether the presidential election is early or scheduled), limited to two terms, or 10 years, in the role in total at maximum. As of 2024, Şamil Aydamirġer is the incumbent president of Waynakhia. Presidential elections are usually held on the third Tuesday in March.
Parliament
The Parliament of Waynakhia (Waynakh: Waynexaçönan Parlament) is the supreme national legislature of Waynakhia. As of 2024, the Parliament consists of 396 seats; each constituency elects just one Member of Parliament per parliamentary term, according to a first-past-the-post (FPTP) system. Parliamentary elections are usually held on the third Thursday in March, two days after the presidential elections. The President of Waynakhia also has the right to call a parliamentary election as long as 365 days have passed since coming to power, and that 365 days have passed since the most recent parliamentary elections. Changes to administrative boundaries in Waynakhia which abolish old or create new local government areas trigger local parliamentary elections in the areas affected. The Local Government Act of 2019 significantly changed many provincial and local government areas from 1 January 2020, which automatically triggered a parliamentary election due to occur on 19 March 2020, which was extended nationwide; the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the elections until 18 June 2020 and was the first time any election in Waynakhia had been delayed. The current Parliament, active since 28 March 2024, has 295 of 396 seats held by the Waynakh Democratic Party (WDP).
Law
The law of Waynakhia is comprised of several sources of legal documents, including the Constitution of Waynakhia, parliamentary laws (including legislative statutes, national standards and regulations, international treaties and agreements passed by the Parliament, among others), SECA laws (new laws passed by SECA must be agreed upon by all member states in order to be made official), provincial, local, territorial and clan laws. Waynakh law is primarily based on common law, national legal traditions, standards, procedures and concepts which in some cases originate from cultural heritage. Under common law, the law is developed by judges in courts, who interpret and apply legislative statutes, precedent, and common sense to the facts of a case presented before them prior to rendering judgments which will become binding in future similar cases.
Criminal law is decided on the national level; while responsible for enforcing laws, provinces do not have the power to create or modify laws passed by the national government. As provinces are required to enforce laws, the majority of criminal cases are prosecuted at the provincial level, though provinces do have the power to request that some of the most serious crimes committed are prosecuted at the national level. Some of the most severe crimes, designated by the Law, are automatically prosecuted at the national level. Waynakhia has one of the lowest rates of violent crime in Europe, to the extent that the most severe crimes, though extremely rare, draw significant media and public attention.
Foreign relations
In the aftermath of the Great War, the Partition of Russia led to the establishment of Checheno-Ingushetia as an independent state under British supervision, which later became known as Waynakhia upon its independence. As a result, the country, like many of its neighbours in the Caucasus, became more closely aligned towards the Western bloc, particularly the United Kingdom, and later, Germany. The new states of the Caucasus remained relatively stagnant economically in the first decades after independence, and the period of the Caucasian Wars left the region in a condition of political and economic collapse. The final major theatre of the conflicts, the Aukh War, took place between Dagestan and Waynakhia, largely between 1978 and 1984. Around the same time, major international powers moved to shore up interests in the Caucasus region, with efforts mainly led by Germany to integrate the region with the Western (and later European) bloc, seeing the region as a strategic location and aiming to create European-aligned allies to contain Russia. A considerable Anatolian influence in the region also emerged, with the Anatolian Republic aiming to become the dominant power in the Caucasus and prevent Russia from gaining a foothold.
By the end of the Cold War, Waynakhia and its neighbours had entered a pro-European trajectory, developing warm relations with many Western powers, particularly from the 1990s onwards. The country became a member of the SECA Union in 1999, with strong economic ties to other members of the union. Along with neighbouring Dagestan, Waynakhia joined the European Community in 2005, maintaining positive economic and political relations with most of Europe and, to a smaller extent, the Conference of American States.
Waynakhia's relations with Russia are relatively poor, with limited diplomatic relations between the two countries. Due to the two countries' historically hostile relations, tensions remained high in the aftermath of the Great War, and peaked during the Caucasian Wars due to the fear that Russia would use the conflicts as an opportunity to regain a grip on the Caucasus; Russian attempts to mediate in the conflicts were met with suspicion, especially the Aukh War, with Waynakhia's government suspecting for part of the conflict that Dagestan was being secretly supported by Russia, and that the claims of a "stable Caucasus being in Russia's interest" were designed as a veiled threat. Relations remained very tense after the end of the conflict, with Waynakhia refusing Russian-led mediation. However, following the end of the Cold War, the Russian government made more indirect attempts to negotiate with Waynakhia, especially through Germany, and played a role in securing the European Community membership of the Caucasian states. A period of somewhat warmer relations took place between 2014 and 2019, during the government of the Waynakh National Party, though relations between the two countries became more distant again from 2020 onwards. While the Russian government continues to attempt improving relations with Waynakhia, the republic regards the efforts with some suspicion, and almost all negotiations between Russia and Waynakhia involve a third party even in the present day.
Political parties and elections
Waynakhia is a multi-party democracy with two major political parties - the Waynakh Democratic Party (WDP) and Waynakh National Party (WNP), which usually hold the majority of seats in the Parliament. Since 1999, the WDP has historically been the most popular party, winning all but one of the post-war elections with various margins, in 1999, 2004, 2009, 2019, 2020, and 2024. The opposition WNP won the 2014 election. There are several other minor political parties in the country, which generally have smaller bases of support, but which hold at least one seat in the Parliament of Waynakhia, and sometimes influence the actions of the two major parties. The most prominent minor party is the Adat Party, which was formed in 2020, and came second in the 2024 Waynakh parliamentary election.
In the 2024 presidential election, the Waynakh Democratic Party won with 71% of the vote; in the 2024 parliamentary elections, the Waynakh Democratic Party won 295 of 396 seats. The National party had been accused of corruption in late 2018, and controversial economic and border policies led to a fall in its popularity. The WDP had won the 2019 parliamentary election due to this, gaining even more seats following the June 2020 parliamentary election - however, the Adat Party formed in the late summer of 2020, largely on the basis of protesting against perceived failures by the two major parties to invest in key areas, such as healthcare and education. The WDP's popularity remained high through to the 2024 election, but it won a smaller share of the seats than it had in 2020; running in its first election, the Adat Party became the second-largest parliamentary party, winning 41 seats.
Administrative divisions
Waynakhia is divided into three levels of administrative divisions. The highest level of divisions is the 26 provinces, with the second level being the Local Government Area, which are the administrative divisions of the provinces. In most cases, these second level divisions have the same composition as boundaries of electoral areas related to the country's Parliament. The third level of division is individual settlements within an LGA, but these do not have officially defined borders and rather are for administrative and local purposes (though, non-administrative events and functions typically refer to individual settlements rather than administrative divisions). A non-official form of division is the region; these are larger areas which cover several provinces. While the four regions do not exist de jure within the country's Constitution or Law, they are used for a variety of purposes, such as administrative delegation and distribution of funding, and are used by the government itself. Below is a map of the provinces of Waynakhia since 1 January 2022.
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Diplomacy and defence
Diplomatically, Waynakhia holds its closest relations with the countries of the SECA union, especially with Georgia and Anatolia, as well as with the European bloc, including powers such as Germany and the United Kingdom. Waynakhia is also a member of the League of Nations, European Community, OPEC, World Bank, and IMF. The country's strong ties with Anatolia were significantly strengthened from the 1980s onwards, with a large Waynakh diaspora in the country being a driving force; since joining SECA in 1999, it has become one of the union's strongest economies in various industries. Waynakhia later joined the European Union in 2005. From 1999 until March 2020, Waynakhia maintained an open-border policy with other SECA member states, keeping only limited checks and restrictions on travel between these countries. From 2008, Waynakhia began to participate in a new visa-free travel agreement between the SECA countries (Anatolia, Armenia, Dagestan, Georgia, and Waynakhia), and from 2010 introduced a simplified visa scheme for travel to and from most other EC member states. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Waynakhia closed its borders to anyone other than citizens and permanent residents, with very few exceptions; it began to re-open its borders from February 2022.
The Armed Forces of Waynakhia are the combined military forces of the country and are responsible for national security and defence. Waynakhia's government restricts information related to the internal functioning of the Armed Forces, meaning that only limited information is available freely about it. The Army, the Air Force, the Strategic Forces and the Navy are the four main branches, and the national security is based around the Military Intelligence Directorate, very little about which is known to the outside world beyond the fact that it exists. Waynakhia's physical border with Russia is its longest international border and has been closed or tightly controlled for much of the country's history, with very few open crossings between the two countries and strong defence systems established in many border areas. The function of the Navy, the smallest group of the Armed Forces, is usually based on defence only around the country's coast and waters closest to Russia, with the rest of the Navy patrolling Waynakhia's territorial waters.
Waynakhia has some of the most relaxed laws on firearms in the developed world. The country also has one of the highest rates of civilian ownership of firearms, with 64 out of 100 households owning at least one firearm according to data from 2019, as well as the country being one of the largest producers of firearms in Europe. Despite this, firearms-related crime is extremely rare in Waynakhia, with only two major incidents involving them since the current firearms laws were created in 2005; the vast majority of firearms-related injuries in Waynakhia occur accidentally.
State symbols
State symbols of Waynakhia are the symbols used to represent the country, its cultural life and its history.
| Symbol | Name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Flag | Flag of Waynakhia | 
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| Coat of Arms | Coat of Arms of Waynakhia |
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| National mammal | Wolf | 
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| National bird | Eagle | .jpeg)
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| National anthem | 'Ōƶalla ya Marşo | |
| National motto | Xalq̇ana, Maxkana, Dalla |
Demographics
Population
As of the 2020 Census, the population of Waynakhia was 2,239,954 people. Out of these, around 94% are Waynakh passport holders, with the remaining 6% made up from permanent residents and people staying long-term in the country. The capital city, Sölƶa-Ġala, is the most populous city in Waynakhia with 245,911 people; the second and third largest cities were Näsare and Xasi-Ġala, with 122,261 people and 105,109 people, respectively. The geographical distribution of the population varies by region - the majority of people live in the Plains Region, which covers approximately the central belt of the country between the Caucasus Mountains and Terka River. The highest population density is located here, whereas the mountainous southern part of the country and the northern areas beyond the Terka River had much smaller populations. The eastern Greater Owxa Region is also sparsely populated, especially in rural areas. Across all of Waynakhia, the population continues to grow; around 57% of the population are of working age, while 34% are below working age, and the remaining 9% are above working age.
Ethnicity
The absolute majority of the population of Waynakhia are ethnic Waynakhs, at 90.6% of the population. The second and third largest ethnic groups were Kumuks, at 5.6%, and Nogais, at 2.3%. The three largest ethnic groups make up 98.4% of the entire population of Waynakhia. Other minority ethnic groups include Awars, at 1.3%, and Russians/Cossacks, located mostly in the north, at 0.1%. The fastest growing ethnic group is Waynakhs, and numbers of ethnic Kumuks and Nogais are growing slowly. The remaining 0,1% of the population is mostly permanent residents who are living long-term in Waynakhia.
Language
According to the Constitution of Waynakhia, the only official language in Waynakhia is the Waynakh language. However, regionally recognised language include the Kumyk language and the Nogai language, which are spoken mainly in the east and north of Waynakhia, respectively.
Religion
The dominant religion in all of Waynakhia today is Sunni Islam, which has influenced spiritual cultural and political life in the region for centuries. The spread of Islam among the ancestors of Waynakhs began in the 14th century and became much more widespread during the 16th century, though some Waynakhs did not convert to Islam until as late as the 19th century. Even though official statistics on religious composition in the country are not released in census data, surveys have consistently revealed that between 95% and 97% of the population identify as Sunni Muslims. Almost every inhabited settlement in the country has at least one mosque; the two largest mosques in Europe, the Heart of Waynakhia Mosque and the Pride of Muslims Mosque are located in Sölƶa-Ġala and Şela, respectively. The country has a small Christian minority, mainly made up of the Russian/Cossack minority and of long-term and permanent residents from Europe, as well as a small Jewish minority, though there are only seven churches in the entire country.
The Constitution of Waynakhia officially defines the country as a secular state, with Clause 4 stating that no religion can be established as the official state religion. State secularism is considered to be an important part of modern Waynakhian politics, especially regarding integration and relations with European and North American allies. The Constitution also guarantees in Clause 43 that citizens of Waynakhia have the right to profess any religion, or no religion, as well as to conduct any religious activity not contradicting the law.
Economy
The economy of Waynakhia is a moderately to highly-developed, mixed, market-oriented economy. The country's nominal GDP output in 2023 was $61.995 billion as measured in the Sierran dollar, making it the 88th largest economy in the world. Waynakhia's economic output fell sharply following the Caucasian Wars, especially the Dagestan-Waynakhia Conflict, but recovered through the 1990s and 2000s, with double-digit growth due to broad economic and political reforms. Apart from a brief recession during the 2008 financial crisis, the country's economy has grown steadily since, becoming a relatively well-functioning market economy by 2005, when it joined the European Community. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, anti-corruption and pro-business reforms helped to strengthen the economy, while the mixed news-media environment makes the country's press relatively free.
For much of its history, what is now Waynakhia had an agrarian economy, with little to no industrialisation. This continued until the Russian Empire's annexation of the region in the 19th century, when the oil industry emerged, and became a major form of industry in the area for almost a century, with other industries developing through the early 20th century. The Great War and Highland Expulsions decimated the agricultural economy, and eliminated all economic activity in the country's southern mountainous regions. Moreover, many people who were expelled from their homes in the mountains endured forced labour during the Great War, mostly to replace Russian settlers, who had largely been drafted by the Derzhavist government to fight on the front lines. When the Allies made progress in the conflict, many people in the North Caucasus rebelled against Derzhavist Russia with the support of Allied Powers in the later part of the conflict, leading to significant destruction of the region's industrial base, due to refusals to work and mass sabotage by both native Caucasians and Russian governors.
During the post-war British Mandate and following European supervision of the independent Waynakhia, the economy returned to a more agrarian base, and while progress was made in restoring the oil industry and other industrial facilities in the country, the overall impact was limited; as a result, the economy remained fragile through the mid-20th century. The rise of Germany as a European economic hub began to shift the economic and political environment in the Caucasus, due to the German-led and wider Northern European bloc wishing to establish stable, capitalist allied states in the strategic Caucasus region, establishing reliable trade partners along with avoiding the spread of Landonism to the area, and preventing any possibility of a future Russian attempt to return to, or gain influence over, the Caucasus during the Cold War era. With increasing outward migration from the Caucasus and Middle East, the German interest in Waynakhia was met positively, and greater economic ties were established; the flow of people out of Waynakhia became largely directed towards Germany.
However, the economic and political fragility of the region led to concerns from other European states around integration, with the Dagestan-Waynakhia Conflict, also known as the Aukh War, leading to a near-total collapse of the Waynakh economy. The initial Waynakh losses had reversed by the culmination of the conflict, when a large swathe of northern Dagestan was occupied by Waynakh forces, spurred on by covert support from its main European ally, Germany. While negotiations between Dagestan and Waynakhia were initially slow, German-led efforts to restore political and economic stability in the Caucasus, and both domestic and international pressure for peace, pushed the region into a settlement. The (TBD) Plan was established in 1988, marking the start of economic revitalisation in the Caucasus due to German-led European and Anatolian economic investment and political-economic reforms. The country's economy saw reliable signs of growth by 1992, with the restoration of the oil and kerosene industries playing a central role - foreign direct investment in Waynakh business start-ups, diversification into the tertiary sector, and the mass expansion of key transport links, led to significant growth through the following years, receiving large boosts after the end of the Cold War in 2000 and the Waynakhian integration with the European Community in 2005. The national capital, Sölƶa-Ġala, is a business and finance hub of the Caucasus region, second only to Tbilisi for presence of international business.
Today, the largest sector of the Waynakh economy is the tertiary sector, at ??% of GDP, closely followed by the oil and kerosene industries at ??% of GDP. The rest of the industrial sector and the agricultural sector remain important to the country, each contributing approximately ??% of its GDP. Since 2018, the Waynakh government has invested in sustainable development in the Mountain Region of the country, with large investments in agriculture since 2020 as part of the Highland Recovery, including grants for the establishment of farms growing crops and rearing livestock. The goal of this investment is to form an economic base in the highland region, increase agricultural output, and ultimately to increase self-sufficiency and reduce the costs associated with importing food and agricultural products from abroad. In 2022, the government began to offer short-term loans and grants for the establishment of different economic enterprises in the Mountain Region, as an incentive for citizens to return to live in the region.
The country's economy continues to be largely supported by its oil and kerosene industries, though Waynakhia is also an investor in new technology and renewable energy sources; since 2016, it has allocated part of its oil profits to the state budget for active development of green technology, including solar and wind power - while this is intended to reduced the country's reliance on oil, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down global air travel, leading to an increased share of state revenue coming from oil production. Waynakhia remains a major oil producer and exporter, with 22 major oil fields on its territory and over 150 smaller deposits scattered elsewhere. The largest of these oil fields are at Sölƶa-Ġala, Gümsa, Lulara-Yurt, Maġalbike, and Noƶi-Yurt, with exploration for new oil deposits in mountainous regions occurring sporadically since 2003, and more regularly since 2022. As of September 2024, the most southerly oil field in the republic being actively drilled was located near Dättaġa. The country also hosts some of the largest oil refineries in eastern Europe. Most of the country's heavy industry is located in the central Plains Region, including oil and kerosene production, the country's oil refineries, and production of guns, automobiles and modern technologies.
The Bank of Waynakhia is the central bank of the country, which is responsible for monetary policy and also the national currency the Waynakh naxar. Originally introduced in the 1960s and circulated alongside the Russian ruble, it was succeeded by the new Waynakh naxar in the early 1990s; it became the legal tender of Waynakhia on 1 January 1996, circulating with the ruble until 31 December 1997, when the naxar became the sole legal tender in the country. With a value approximate to that of the Georgian lari, It is one of the most valuable currencies in the Caucasus region as measured against the Sierran dollar.
Agriculture
Agriculture in Waynakhia is a significant industry, with a mix of labour-intensive and capital-intensive production methods, and is one of the fastest-growing industries in the country today. Together with hunting and forestry, the Waynakh agricultural industry contributes around 7% of the country's GDP, and has seen a major increase in investment in recent years. Around two thirds of total production is devoted to livestock, with the other third to production of arable crops, and the country produces around 45% of domestic food consumption. Agricultural activity mostly occurs in rural areas of the country, with both livestock and crops grown nationwide - in the plains, and the drier northern and eastern areas of the country, crop production forms the bulk of agricultural production, while in the mountainous southern regions, livestock makes up a larger share of the industry due to the lower share of arable land available. The country has over 30,000 agricultural holdings. The country also has a small fishing industry, primarily focused in the eastern Kaspi Province along the Caspian Sea coastline.
Crops grown in Waynakhia include grain, vineyards, and a selection of vegetables; of the total land area used for agricultural production in 2015, 54% was devoted to grain crops, 33% to forage crops, 8% to industrial crops, and 5% to potatoes, melons, and other vegetables. The livestock raised in the country include cattle, sheep, and poultry, of which the population was over 2 million in 2019, and with an average of 6% each year from 2019 to 2023; the size of the industry enables Waynakhia's dairy industry to thrive, with high outputs of products including milk, cheese and butter. Waynakhia is one of Europe's largest producers of halal meat.
The agricultural industry has seen steady growth in Waynakhia since the 1990s, with the volume of total production increasing almost without interruption since 1993 - the largest contemporary increases in Waynakh agriculture have occurred in the early 1990s, early 2000s, and also since 2020 as a part of the Highland Recovery project. The Department of Environment, also known by abbreviation 'AQ Dep from its Waynakh name, is the regulator of agricultural policy and activity in Waynakhia, holding a variety of responsibilities in the industry.
Energy
As early as the 19th century, what is now Waynakhia had been a major oil hub in the North Caucasus, with many oil wells drilled across its territory, including in the capital, Sölƶa-Ġala, along with widespread exploration for this commodity across the republic's territory. Oil continued to play a central role in the regional economy through the period of Russian rule, due to its position as a major oil-producing centre of the Caucasus region; it became an economic lifeline during the Derzhavist Russia period, in a region that was otherwise economically deprived. With its oil industry being heavily redirected towards the Russian war effort, the city was briefly considered as a target for the Allies to reach or otherwise cut off from Russia during the Great War era, though the front line never reached the North Caucasus, with the Allied Powers instead secretly funding anti-Derzhavist uprisings in the region. They were ultimately successful, with the region securing its independence from Russia after the conflict, and the oil industry was revitalised first by the British in the 1950s and 60s, and later, by the German-led European bloc in the 1980s and 1990s towards the end of the Cold War. Throughout the 20th century, the oil industry had kept the Waynakh economy floating in difficult times, and eventually became the foundation for the country's prosperity entering the 21st century. Waynakhia today is one of the members of OPEC; the oil and kerosene industries remain as some of the largest contributors to the economy and energy mix at present.
Hydroelectric power is also a growing part of Waynakhia's energy mix. Among the largest stations in the country is the Ezmi Hydroelectric Power Station, which generates 60 MW of energy daily, and up to 231 million kWh of energy per year; other hydroelectric power stations include Bummat, Ç̇innax, Dabe-Yurt, Ġaƶari-Yurt, Guta, Ölgate and Qoqta. The country also has two thermal power stations in Sölƶa-Ġala and Ustarġardoy.
Since the 2010s, the development of renewable energy technology has spread to Waynakhia; particularly since 2016, the country's successive governments have aimed to diversify the energy mix and create new power sources, leading to the development of one of the largest solar farms in the Caucasus in the north of the country. The government also provides loans for the installation of solar panels, with mixed success. The Highland Recovery project, active since 2020, originally planned to redevelop the country's highland region using only green energy sources, with a significant part of the budget being invested in electricity generators, as well as solar and wind power for houses and other construction projects. However, oil exploration began in 2022, with the expansion of the industry intended to encourage people to return on a more permanent basis to the Mountain Region along with research into viability of expanding hydroelectric power generation to the area.
Transportation
Since the 1980s, the Waynakhian national transport system has been actively developed and modernised nationwide. The country has numerous major highways, known as "national roads", which are the most significant roads in the country's network and often connect the country's major cities to one another, or connect the country to its neighbours. The most important road in the country is the Caucasus Highway, which passes through several of Waynakhia's major cities, including Näsare, Sölƶa-Ġala, Gümsa and Xasi-Ġala. The Chanta-Orga Highway is one of the most important roads in the mountains, providing a direct road connection between Waynakhia and Georgia, along with the Darial Highway, which is jointly managed by Georgia, Russia, and Waynakhia. There is also an advanced road system connecting the country's settlements, and mass construction of new roads into the mountainous regions has been ongoing since 2020. Most of the country's trade in goods and services relies on the road network, especially in the south, where the road network is the only transport route available in wide areas. The Department of Transport is responsible for maintaining the country's designated highways, while maintenance of local roads is the responsibility of local governments. Car ownership in Waynakhia is generally high, with limited public transport routes outside of or between its cities and towns.
In 2005, the expansion of the Caucasus Railway into Waynakhia was completed. Running parallel to the Darial Highway along the Terka River, it crosses into Waynakhia at its border with Russia and Georgia, transiting northwards to Näsare, before turning east and crossing the plains towards the border with Dagestan. The railway route facilitates trade and transport within the Caucasus region and serves as a major connection with the South Caucasus and Anatolia. It serves as one of only two major international rail routes in Waynakhia, the other being the North Waynakhia Railway, which connects to Russia and the north-western Caucasus.
Air travel in Waynakhia has been extensively redeveloped since the end of the Caucasus Wars in 1988, with its two major airports - Solzha-Gala Airport and Nasare Airport - rebuilt and expanded to facilitate air transport with the country's Northern European allies; the third-largest airport in the country, Xasi-Gala Airport, began to be constructed in 1998 and was completed in 2005. Solzha-Gala Airport also serves as a major refuelling hub, making it integral to the Waynakhian kerosene industry and providing a major source of income for the country. The Waynakh national flag carrier, Waynakh Air, is one of the most profitable air companies in the Caucasus region, and offers both passenger flights and cargo services to various international destinations, especially to Europe and the Middle East. There are various smaller airports across Waynakhia to serve civilian and non-civilian air traffic purposes, though many do not provide public or daily air services.
Tourism
Waynakhia's tourism industry is relatively small, compared to those of its neighbours and other European countries. Compared with Georgia and Anatolia, the country's coastal area is far less developed, especially for tourist facilities; tourism to the Caucasus Mountains is largely concentrated in Georgia and Armenia, as well as the republics of Circassia and North Ossetia. The industry has faced many challenges - in 2017, the "Visit Waynakhia" tourism campaign was launched, though its impact on increasing tourism to the country was limited, only seeing substantial increases in tourist numbers from Europe, Japan, and China. In 2019, the tourism industry declared that 2020 would be the "year of tourism" in Waynakhia, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the country closed its borders to nearly all international guests in March of that year.
Despite this, Waynakhia has invested increasingly in the tourism industry in recent years. In 2011, the Showda recreational park was opened outside the city of Gümse; it was the largest tourist attraction in the country until 2014, when the Wiedaça ski resort opened in Ẋaçara, Chanta Province. designed for a maximum capacity of 4,800 people, it includes 17 slopes with a total length of 45 kilometres, along with 15 kilometres of cable cars and extensive hiking trails. A tourist complex opened in 2015 at Q̇özana 'Am, with a hotel, restaurant, bath-house, pier, and sports and recreation areas. Jeep tours to mountainous regions have emerged as a popular tourism option in recent years, especially in areas targeted by the Highland Recovery.
Income and wealth
At the 2020 census, 57% of Waynakhia's population, or approximately 1.277 million people, was of the working age between 15 and 64 years. Of these, 4.3% were unemployed in January 2020, which had increased slightly to 4.5%, or approximately 57,500 working-aged people, by January 2024 estimates. Waynakhia, like much of the Caucasus, is characterised by high labour force participation - data has consistently revealed that over 75%, and up to 85%, of the working-age population is actively participating in the labour force, which is relatively high-skilled and specialised. However, the country also had relatively tight regulations around parental leave, sick leave, and paid vacation. The country's work environment is shaped to some extent by its conservative culture and traditions, which dictate that men should provide for their family, though the number of women in employment has increased considerably during the 21st century.
According to 2020 data, Waynakhia's nominal GDP was $61.995 billion KSD, giving a GDP per capita of $27,087 KSD. The Gini coefficient is estimated at 31.8 in 2024, representing lower-medium inequality, though it remains as one of the least unequal countries in Europe. The country's HDI score was 0.803 in 2020, which had increased slightly to 0.809 by 2024, based on improvements to healthcare and increased economic development in the south. In recent decades, Waynakhia has consistently offered a developed welfare state service to eligible citizens, including unemployment benefits, and allows citizens in certain social groups, below a given income threshold, to supplement incomes with part-time or informal employment. However, the government also encourages people to seek employment, and provides a mix of supply-side and demand-side policies to promote employment, including training opportunities and small business creation programmes for college and university graduates.
Infrastructure
Throughout history, Waynakhia and the Waynakh people have been known across the Caucasus for their construction skills. Since the 12th century, Waynakh highland villages were characterized by their residential and battle towers (b'äwnaş). In general, the towers have a square base between 6m and 12m wide, and are between 10m and 25m high, depending on their type, though there are some towers with taller structures. The walls are built from stone blocks, held together by lime, clay-lime or lime-sand mortar, and inclined inwards and became thinner further up the towers. The foundations are built on hard rock. Most towers include petrographs and other symbols, with solar signs, animals, and prints of the tower owner's hand being most common. Many of the towers were badly damaged during the Highland Expulsions, but since 2007, restoration and preservation of towers began, with major restoration work on hundreds of such towers across the country beginning in 2018. The towers are symbolic of Waynakhia and have been a centrepiece of infrastructure development in the country's extreme mountainous landscapes for centuries.
In the modern era, Waynakh infrastructure development is characterised by its high quality and modernity. The Sölƶa-Ġala tower complex is a symbol of Waynakhia's post-war reconstruction, including seven high-rise buildings, which form the core of the city's Central Business District, as well as including several offices of non-government administration, and other major state-owned and private companies of the country. Since the 2000s, its other major cities have also seen the construction of similar CBDs, as well as increased regulation of nationwide urban and rural planning, to ensure that living environments and essential services function efficiently. The country's water supply network, managed by Waynakh Water and its regional sub-entities, has been modernised and expanded since the 1990s, especially regarding the restoration and advancement of water and sewage systems, and the emergence of hydro-electric power as an energy supply source; since 2020, the company has been tasked with connecting revived settlements in the Mountain Region to the national water supply and sewage treatment networks. Similarly, the National Grid aims to connect all of the country's settlements and households to the electricity grid, while Waynakh Energy is actively working to connect all households and settlements to the oil and gas supply network. As of 2024, Waynakh Telecom had already installed and activated above-ground telecommunications networks to the majority of the mountainous region, including most of the revived settlements, and provided Internet, broadband, and cellular data connections to almost all of the country. Some challenges remain, with settlements in more remote parts of the Mountain Region maintaining local generators in the event of power outages or other losses of connectivity - such generators and reserves have been incorporated into the Highland Recovery project's infrastructure development goals, with new ones supplied to all revived settlements, in order to prevent rural highland localities with limited infrastructure from being cut off in case of extreme weather events or other infrastructure failures.
Welfare
Waynakhia has a developed, though somewhat limited, welfare system which has been developed since the country's independence in 1971. The minimum wage system was one of the first main acts to create a welfare state; during the 1980s, the regional instability across the Caucasus led to the state itself struggling to provide welfare. The welfare system was reformed in the 1990s, with more state benefit available to citizens due to economic support from Western powers. At the same time, the system had its highest number of applicants and welfare recipients. However, the system was gradually wound down from 2005, as the national economy stabilised and more jobs became available. The state now provides a much more limited range of financial benefit, though continues to invest into education and healthcare, among other things.
Education
The Department of Education is responsible for the administration of the country's national education system. In Waynakhia, there are five stages of education: kindergarten (pre-school), elementary school, middle school, high school, and further education (colleges and universities). The Law states that full-time education is compulsory for all children between the ages of 5 and 18 in the country. The vast majority of students learn at a school; since 2020, the government has encouraged and invested in improved access to education, particularly in rural mountainous areas, as well as through online learning. Elementary education lasts for four years and centres on basic skills, while middle education lasts for five years and focuses on various topics; at the end of middle school, students must pass a series of exams in order to continue to high school, the next stage of education. High school education lasts for three years, where students select a smaller number of topics to study in more depth, receiving Certificates of Advanced Education if successful in the final exams of high school, which are required to enter further education. Further education is not compulsory, but is the highest level of education, which for most full-time students, takes place in universities and other Further Education institutions and colleges, finishing with attainment of a degree or equivalent. The country's two universities, the University of Solzha-Gala and the University of Nasara are part of the Caucasus Universities Group and have ties with several other international universities outside of the group. People who do not enter Further Education are required to immediately enter work or find an apprenticeship for a period equivalent to an education course, usually three years.
Schools receive funding from the national government, with the amount varying depending on different factors such as the location and number of students. As a result of this, all schools must align their policies and curriculums with the national standard for education. Provinces are responsible for the administration of schools within their territory and for organising and providing any services, such as school buses, especially in rural and mountainous regions. The majority of local education authorities have the same boundaries as provinces, though in some areas with higher populations (such as city regions), local education areas may align with city districts. While the national language of instruction is Waynakh, as the only official language of Waynakhia, some provinces with significant minority populations may have a limited number of schools which teach in the language more widely spoken in the area. Students in these schools are expected to be fluent in both Waynakh and the language of instruction. In Waynakh-language schools, by the end of middle school, students are expected to have an understanding of another language, with the most popular being English and German.
The school year in Waynakhia usually starts on 1 September, or if this day falls on a weekend, the earliest weekday in September. A school half-term normally lasts for six to seven weeks, with a one-week break diving the full term. The fall/autumn term lasts from September to December, while the spring term lasts from January to March; a shorter summer term runs from April to either May or June.
Healthcare
Healthcare in Waynakhia is provided by the state, and is regulated by the Department of Health. Since 1991, Waynakhia has provided healthcare to all of its citizens on the basis of it being free at the time of use, though some aspects of healthcare require payment, especially services deemed not to be essential or immediately necessary.
The Waynakh healthcare system has historically been a source of problems for the country, and has consistently been underfunded and underdeveloped, even prior to the independence of the country. Despite attempts by various governments since the country's independence in 1971 to develop the healthcare system, it has consistently been ranked poorly across many factors for years. Many citizens choose to travel abroad, to countries such as Kumykia, Georgia or Anatolia, in order to receive better quality healthcare; private health insurance has historically been popular in the country, especially since it was subsidized by the ?? Party-led government in 2015. Many experts have criticised the health system, and described subsidization of private healthcare as an attempt by the previous government to avoid fixing the problem. However, since the Waynakh Democratic Party won the 2019 election, healthcare funding from the state has increased substantially, with noticeable improvements in its quality. The COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020 led to the closure of Waynakhia's borders for two years to prevent the health system from being overrun, during which time the government launched the Healthcare National Project, under which it heavily invested in improving the healthcare system nationwide, and almost doubled the national budget for healthcare to cover costs for improved equipment, facilities, and training for staff. As of 2023, the country's healthcare system remains below the standard in many other European countries, though has shown noticeable improvements and moved up multiple places in several rankings across various key points.
The Waynakh health system has become a key factor in election campaigning in recent years. As part of its 2024 campaign, the incumbent Waynakh Democratic Party has focused on its improvements to the country's healthcare system, and has promised a further reform of the system to improve quality of healthcare to a 'European standard' in its next term, with the ultimate goal of devolving healthcare entirely back to the provincial level once the system has improved and stabilised enough. Opposition parties such as the Waynakh National Party have described the WDP's work as being too slow and not widespread enough, and have proposed further and more far-reaching changes to the health network in the country.
Housing
Housing in Waynakhia largely reflects Waynakh history, geography and traditions; the absolute majority of people live in private homes, with only a small percentage of the population having apartments as their main residence, even in cities such as the capital, Sölƶa-Ġala. This is the case across all of the country's territory. A typical private house in Waynakhia is detached from any other property, and is surrounded by a high wall with a gate, and includes its own private garden and courtyard. Though houses were historically built with various materials, such as stone (especially in ancient settlements in the southern mountainous regions of Waynakhia), the majority of modern houses are constructed with brick as the main material.
In Waynakhia, the vast majority of houses are privately owned by the family who are resident in it; of these, more than five in six homes were built by its residents. A smaller percentage of homes in the country belong to the government, and are rented by the occupants - these homes are generally found on government-owned housing estates. However, the cost of privately owning a home in Waynakhia is typically lower than renting from the government. Everyone over the age of 18 in Waynakhia who does not already own a private house as a primary residence is eligible for a state subsidy for the purchase of a land plot and of construction materials to build their own house, with the size of the subsidy varying by region, being most generous in the provinces of the Mountain Region and less generous in cities.
Since 2019, there has been a steady increase in the number of people choosing to build primary or secondary homes in the Mountain Region, especially in the provinces targeted most by the Highland Recovery project. The Department of Housing oversees the majority of housing affairs in Waynakhia.
Since 1992, the Constitution of Waynakhia has guaranteed the right to housing to all Waynakh citizens, specifically in Section 31, which guarantees the right to private ownership of a dwelling, or constant use of state-owned housing. Section 31 also forbids arbitrary deprivation of a dwelling, effectively banning any no-fault evictions in the country.
Subsidies
Waynakhia in its recent history has seen the provision of a range of state subsidies, largely used to stabilise and grow its economy. These subsidies have been targeted at various parts of the economy, and towards both consumers and businesses. The state has used a mix of various short-term to medium-term subsidies to help to achieve short-term economic goals, as well as long-term permanent subsidies in order to ensure the general functioning of the state. Some of the most significant subsidies from the state include monthly state pensions for elders and retired persons, support for the disabled, food vouchers for families on low incomes, allowances for job seekers who are currently out of work but actively looking for employment, and housing support for those living in unsuitable or unaffordable accommodation or Waynakhs returning to the country after living abroad and are constructing a permanent home. These are some of the long-term subsidies offered by the state and have been available since the 1990s. The state also allows people below a certain monthly income to work while receiving state subsidies for a given period of time.
The Waynakh government has also previously subsidised several other projects in the shorter term to improve the standard of living in the country, and has done so in a variety of ways, including through direct financing from the state budget and through partnerships with domestic and foreign companies. Some examples of contemporary short-term and medium-term subsidies included:
- Safer Transport (1997-2012) - government subsidisation with the goal of increasing road and vehicle safety in the country and removing old and unsafe vehicles from the road, by paying for up to 25% of the cost of newer and safer vehicles produced by the local Borz automobile brand, especially the Xalxara model and later the ?? model;
- Comfortable Urban Living (2008-present) - development of high quality infrastructure, leisure facilities, green spaces, and improving accessibility for residents in cities and towns in Waynakhia, as well as providing necessities and amenities such as schools and convenience stores;
- House Construction (2012-present) - for people intending to construct their own home, the government supplies necessary construction materials at a reduced cost to the intended resident(s), as well as helping to allocate land plots in locations which meet the needs of the homeowner;
- COVID-19 Financial Support (2020-2022) - during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government developed a range of financial support packages for businesses and workers, including state payment of up to 80% of wages of workers during periods of lockdown and restrictions, and covering up to 60% of fixed costs for businesses temporarily unable to operate.
Culture
Due to its geographic location and its history, Waynakhia has developed a rich and distinctive culture over the centuries which is maintained and deeply influences modern society in the country. Throughout time, the country's geographic location and relative isolation has allowed the development of traditions and a way of life that has seen relatively little outside influence, while many conflicts in both ancient and contemporary history have created a distinct and independent mindset in its people. Today, the country's traditions continue to play a major role in society, with hundreds of the country's centuries-old towers continuing to be actively repaired and maintained in the mountainous regions. Waynakh culture also places heavy emphasis on hospitality, which is some of the most accommodating in the world.
Art and architecture
Waynakh tower architecture (Waynakh: Waynexan b'äwnīn arkitektur) is perhaps one of the most well-known characteristics of Waynakh culture today. Also known as Nakh architecture, it is one of the most notable features of ancient and medieval architecture in Waynakhia.
The oldest tower fortifications in the North Caucasus verified to be of Waynakh origin date from the 1st century AD, and both residential and military types can be distinguished even in the oldest towers. During the medieval period, especially the 12th and 13th centuries, tower construction increased greatly, reaching a peak during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. The Waynakh towers are found all across southern Waynakhia, as well as in north-eastern Georgia, in the Tusheti region, which also has a significant Nakh history. The oldest known tower to remain standing is the Şuol tower, which is thought to date from the late 10th or early 11th century and stands in the village of Tas-Gut'a, in Çänta Province.
Typical Waynakh towers were built on square bases, with a height ranging from 10 to 25 metres, depending on the purpose of the tower - in highland areas, towers much taller than those in other mountainous regions are observed. The walls of towers were usually built from stone blocks, with lime or clay-lime being most common. They incline inwards, usually at an angle of 2 to 3 degrees, with the thickness decreasing on higher floors. The towers were built on hard rock. Crucially, the towers were also designed with a specific amount of mortar to allow them to easily absorb seismic shocks, making them capable of withstanding earthquakes, which occur sometimes in the Caucasus region. Sometimes the towers were also decorated with a small number of petroglyphs, the most commonly observed ones including the hand of the owner, animals, or solar signs, the latter of which also appears in a stylised version on the modern Waynakh flag.
Residential towers are usually two to four stories high, and often with a flat or nearly-flat roof. Floorplans are usually square or rectangular. The walls are made of stone, either blocks or slabs, depending on the local material, and are dressed on the outside with lime or clay-lime mortar, and chip stone. The foundations and ground-floor walls were normally built with larger and much heavier stone blocks. Inside the towers, the ground floor was usually used for storage of livestock during the winter, with a separate area for grain storage observed in some towers. The floor above this was usually used for storing smaller livestock, and often had a separate entrance reached by a ramp, though in smaller towers this was not always the case. Families usually lived in the second floor above ground (or the first above ground in smaller towers), with family possessions kept on this floor. A central stone pillar was built in all towers, which supported the ceiling rafters, as well as having a symbolic and religious significance in Waynakh culture since ancient times.
Military towers, or combat towers, are taller and narrower than residential towers, usually 20 to 25 metres tall, with a smaller base of just five or six metres, and having four or five floors inside. These towers included no wooden structures to prevent them from catching fire, and unlike residential towers, the walls were not often decorated, but rather included observation slots on the most vulnerable side. Entrance doors were on the second floor, and doors and windows were always placed on the side that was most difficult to access. The roofs of combat towers were usually pyramid-shaped, and at the top was a sharpened stone, known as a ċurku. These towers were often built at the edge of a cliff, and constructed in such a manner that allowed visual connection with nearby towers; they were also built next to key roads or passes to control access, as well as near to a source of water, to allow easy collection of water for the tower. At the top of the tower, loopholes and machicolations are observed, from which defenders fired at the enemy. In some areas of southern Waynakhia, especially in the southwest, some of the later towers combined both residential and military functions; these were typically a little wider than the combat towers, and a little smaller than the residential towers. These mixed-function towers had the advantage of enough space to store all livestock, but are relatively uncommon due to their late creation and the large number of residential or combat towers already existing by that time.
Cuisine
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Waynakh cuisine refers to the traditional food, ingredients, and dishes of the Waynakh people, and shares some similarities with other Caucasian cuisines while also maintaining a distinct character of its own. The basis of Waynakh cuisine generally includes ingredients which had been readily available in the country's territory throughout history - leeks, garlic, pumpkin, corn, cheese and other dairy products, and meat, most commonly lamb, beef and chicken. Additionally, Waynakh cuisine uses components such as onions, pepper, and thyme. Waynakh cuisine is typically quite simple to prepare and easy to eat.
The national dish of Waynakhia is ƶiƶig-galnaş (commonly anglicised as zhizhig-galnash), and is made from meat, or ƶiƶig - typically, beef or chicken - with boiled dough, or galnaş, and is often served with garlic sauce. Among other popular dishes are ç̇epalgaş (chepalgash), which is like a pie or cake filled with ingredients such as cottage cheese and garlic, as well as xingalş (hingalsh), a sort of pie made with pumpkin and butter filling.
In contemporary times, with Waynakhia's increased connectedness to the rest of the world, foreign dishes from locations such as Asia and the Mediterranean have gradually started to appear in Waynakhia, as well as the emergence of fast-food culture. Waynakhia's largest domestic restaurant chain, Crispy, caters to both traditional Waynakh tastes as well as foreign-influenced food items, with some competition in the country from international fast food chains. Despite this, privately-owned hospitality businesses continue to thrive in the country.
Customs
Waynakh customs are rooted in a complex and ancient system with various branches. Perhaps the most important part of Waynakh customs is 'adat, the set of customary laws and norms which are practiced by ethnic Waynakhs, and which provide the foundation of society, including noxçalla, also sometimes called waynaxalla, which can be described as a Waynakh code of honour implying the society's moral and ethical norms and properties of the Waynakh character. 'Adat significantly influences many aspects of social life, including honour, hospitality, respect, relationships between and expectations of men and women, among many other things.
Film, literature and music
Waynakh literature has existed for an extended period of time, originating from local folklore and epics, and through oral history passed down through generations, as well as being recorded through symbols and early forms of writing. Later, religious texts spread to the region following the arrivals of Christianity and Islam - the first firmly-dated, extensive, written literature on Waynakh territory was written in Arabic and emerged in the 15th century. The teptar is often regarded as one of the earliest original forms of more contemporary Waynakh literature; these are historical texts which record the family history of, and major events concerning, a given teip (clan) over a long time period. Many of these records were made on various materials. The first firmly-dated writing in Waynakhia can be dated back as far as the 9th century, using various scripts including Georgian and rune-like scripts, with Arabic script used widely in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Cyrillic script was introduced after the region was absorbed into Russia; while early reforms greatly increased the Waynakh literature base, later repressions and destructions, culminating in the Highland Expulsions, led to large parts of the written Waynakh history being permanently lost. Since independence and the introduction of the Latin script, new generations of Waynakh authors have emerged, contributing greatly to the restoration and advancement of the Waynakh literature base. Similarly, Waynakh music emerged centuries ago, in the forms of songs and musical instruments; the music industry developed rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries until its disruption amid the repressions and conflicts of the mid-to-late 20th century. The modern Waynakh music industry has largely recovered in recent decades. Waynakhia's film industry is a relatively new concept by modern terms, with few films produced in the country, though amateur filmography has gained traction in recent years.
Marriage, funeral and traditions
Waynakh marriage traditions hold an extensive history and remain distinct in the modern day. The Waynakh word for wedding, lowzar, can be translated as 'play', and weddings involve a succession of live shows, singing, dancing, and music. When the bride is shown into her new home, music is played by relatives, friends and other villagers. The relatives of the bride will block the way with a rope or sheepskin cape, showing the people leading the bride that they cannot go further without paying. Once the bride is at her new home, more games are played, starting with a felt rug and broom in the entrance; the bride should place the items back in their correct place immediately, before entering the home and sitting beside a window, in the place of a guest of honour. This part of the room is decorated with a special wedding curtain, and here the bride hugs someone's first-born son and gives him a present, in the hope that the bride will give birth to many boys.
Guests also offer presents directly to the newlywed couple; traditionally, men offer money or sheep, while women offer cloth, rugs, money and candy. After this, everybody takes part in a large meal, after which the guests ask the bride to bring a drink of water. While other guests engage in much conversation, the bride is expected only to bring the water and wish the guests good health, but otherwise to remain silent, as a gesture of modesty and intelligence. Following this, guests play musical instruments as the bride is led to a river. Here, pancakes are thrown into the river and shot at, before the bride draws water from the river and returns home. This game originates from an ancient custom designed to protect the bride from the spirit of the river and to make it safer for her to visit. Finally, a man empowered to act for the bride's father goes with the groom to register the marriage, where a mullah gives consent to the marriage, after which the bride becomes the lady of the household. An ancient custom forbids the groom from attending any part of the wedding ceremony or playing a role in it, instead spending time with friends during the ceremony.
Waynakh funeral traditions begin with the mandatory washing of the body of the deceased, followed by the making of prayers for the deceased prior to the tezit, or wake, and ending with the burial of the deceased, traditionally in an ancestral village. Women traditionally congregate in a separate room during funerals and do not attend the ceremony, which is done only by men. The gate and front door of a house are left open for visitors to express condolences to the family of the deceased during the wake, during which the obligation to offer cuts of meat to the visitors occurs. Tezits and funerals can be attended by large numbers of people, sometimes in the hundreds, as it is considered impolite and unacceptable to not attend them.
In line with Islamic laws, cremations are forbidden and autopsies are extremely rare in Waynakhia, with causes of death often recorded according to statements by the family of the deceased. Only bodies showing signs of violent deaths are examined, in which case only visual examination of the body takes place to determine the cause of death prior to burial.
Mass media
Waynakhia has a relatively developed mass media and communication structure, with the information and communication space including methods such as books, radio, magazines, newspapers, television, and the Internet. In recent times, Waynakh media channels have gradually became available in multiple languages, branching out from Waynakh-only publications primarily into English and Turkish, among other languages.
The largest news companies in the country include the Waynakh Media Corporation, the state-owned company responsible for the largest share of television and radio services, as well as its main competitors such as TW Marsho, the largest independent news channel, and LK, a smaller and privately-owned company. In recent times, many companies have invested in their online presence, with WMC being one of the most-visited websites in the .wy namespace. Significant investment in Internet and communications networks has been a defining feature of the country's recent history, especially in the Mountain Region, where the Highland Recovery project has invested heavily into modernising and strengthening this region's once-limited communication networks; large parts of the region previously relied on radio communication with the rest of Waynakhia, but 4G services have become available in the majority of settlements since 2017.
Despite press freedom being enshrined in the Constitution of Waynakhia, and the country having a high press freedom rate, there are concerns about restrictions and censorship in mass media on certain topics, which has become a contention issue in recent years in the country.
Public holidays and celebrations
Two different forms of public holiday exist in Waynakhia - those determined by the Islamic lunar calendar and those determined by the Gregorian calendar. Public holidays following the Gregorian calendar most often have their origins from holidays that were established by Parliament, and most often are observed on days with significant for Waynakh society or the history of Waynakhia. The majority of public holidays following this calendar are relatively new in the country. Public holidays determined by the Islamic lunar calendar are generally religious holidays, with the dates varying from year to year in accordance with the lunar cycle. Public holidays defined across both calendars typically lead to most employers in the country granting paid time off, with some holidays legally requiring employers to provide time off and to pay their employees for those days. Other holidays, while publicly observed, are not typically non-working days.
Non-working holidays defined by the Gregorian calendar include New Year's Day (1 January), celebrating the widely-observed New Year; Remembrance Day (23 February), recalling the Highland Expulsions and honouring the memory of Waynakhs who died during it; Constitution Day (12 March), the date when the modern Waynakh constitution was created; and Independence Day (22 August), the date on which Waynakhia gained its independence. Other holidays and observations defined by the Gregorian calendar include the Spring Holiday, Waynakh Language Day, Waynakh Women's Day (third Sunday in September), and Waynakh Youth Day. Holidays and observations determined by the Islamic calendar include Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Mawlid, and Islamic New Year.
Sport
For a long time, sport has been of great importance in Waynakh society. Intense physical training occupied and important place in traditional education in Waynakhia, and continues in the present day, with various sport competitions contributing to the development of strength, agility, endurance, and other physical and mental qualities. These sports include archery, gun-shooting, equestrian sports including berella, horse-racing, martial arts, stone-throwing, running, weight-lifting, and numerous others. Competitions were often held during national, cultural, family and local events. Hiking and foraging was also commonplace in traditional education, occurring year-round in different weather conditions.
An integral part of physical training was horse-riding and proper handling of guns and weapons, with this system of physical education being maintained actively until the 20th century, and undergoing a contemporary revival in recent decades. When the level of skill in these sports was considered as acceptable, young men were allowed to take part in competitions on a village level, which often included martial arts, physical exercises, and berella, which can be described as a combination of horse-riding and gymnastics.
In the modern day, Western sports have been increasingly adopted in Waynakhia, including football/soccer, volleyball, and motoball, among others, which are commonly played alongside some more traditional sports. Waynakhia has a large number of sports facilities and complexes; the capital, Sölƶa-Ġala, hosts Dynamo Football Stadium, Olympic Sports Complex, Aẋmat Arena, Terka Football School, and a handball stadium. Other large sports complexes and stadiums also stand in Gümsa, Alpatu-Yurt, 'Alxan-Yurt, Meskar-Ewla, Maġalbike, Näsare, Nowra-Ġala, Noƶi-Yurt, Şela, Xasi-Ġala, and Ẋalxa-Marta. In 2014, a sports and tourist complex was opened at Q̇özana 'Am, which is also used for training the national rowing team; the lake is used for boat-racing and regatta. In 2017, a skiing resort opened at Tas-Gute, and in 2020 an ice-skating rink opened in Sölƶa-Ġala.
Waynakhia takes part in numerous sports in the Olympic Games, primarily in judo and martial arts, boxing, wrestling, athletics, gymnastics, and weight-lifting. Between the 2000 and 2024 Olympics, the Waynakh national team won 25 medals across these sports, including 12 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze. MMA and UFC are also greatly popular in the republic, with major Waynakh personalities in the sport including Xamzat Çimaġer, Zelim Imadiġer, Ismail Naurdiġer, Mayrbek Taysumġer and Mamed Xalidiġer.
In a 2019 ranking, Waynakhia had the highest number of gyms per capita in Europe.
See also
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